


Empty Space Inside

by EspadaIV



Series: Carnival of Rust [4]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Babies, Cheating, Consequences, Coping with bad stuff, Drama, Drinking, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Gangsters, Happy Ending, Kid Fic, Lemon, M/M, Modern Era, Multi, Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prison life, Proposals, Reconciliation, Reconciliation Sex, Recovery, References to Depression, Repercussions, Sex, Smut, UST, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Wedding, aftermath of abuse, tattooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-08 07:39:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 60,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13453560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EspadaIV/pseuds/EspadaIV
Summary: "I'm tryna let this go. I can't seem to find my closure. There's an empty space inside of me, and it will never go away." -Shinigami "Memories of You"Our quartet has to deal with the aftermath of Ulquiorra's actions. It's not pretty how Orihime handles it all. Will Bazz be the hero? What the hell is Ichigo doing inside the house? Is Grimmjow going to pop the question? How does parenting sit with our foursome?





	1. Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the conclusion of the Carnival of Rust series! As we start on our journey, it might seem a bit confusing. It's a lot to take in. 
> 
> To those who have stuck with me through the 200K+ words, I commend you! You guys rock! Please, pat yourselves on the back! I love all my reviewers and readers! I love those who give me kudos and comments. Please, sit down, pull up a chair, relax (if you can) and enjoy as I proudly present Empty Space Inside.
> 
> A new chapter is uploaded almost every day, I am in recovery from VGS surgery and am recording content for my YouTube channel, so there might be days where chapters don't come quickly. Also, I can only go as fast as The Editor is. I email her chapters, we skype and I get my ass ripped about stuff in the chapters then I get the chapter back to make edits to... The process is a vicious circle until I'm happy with the story. I just sent her 15 CHAPTERS so it might take a while before things get back to me.
> 
> I love talking to people and meeting fellow Bleach fans! Send words:  
> Tumblr @Espada-IV  
> Twitter @IVEspada  
> Kik @Espada.IV  
> Gmail @lindsical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Ulquiorra's action causes Bazz to decide something life-changing. Grimmjow runs and gets lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> To Miss EliEliPuddinPie who has given me encouragement to finish this, the plot bunnies and everything else. This entire fic is dedicated you my lovely. *nods* (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ *snuggleloveglomps in blanket burrito* 
> 
> First of all, I am truly sorry for what happens in this chapter. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize. He wanted to be the hero. He wanted to pay for what he'd done. I couldn't stop it.

 

The sound of silence was deafening.

 

That's all Bazz remembered. He didn't remember the way Orihime started shrieking. He didn't remember the way his brother's body fell forward with a dull thud. He didn't even register the surprise on Tsukishima's face.

 

He just remembered the silence when that gun went off.

 

No one talked. No one said a word.

 

His eyes looked over Grimmjow looking at Ulquiorra, disbelief written all over his face. Nel was staring into space as if she was having a flashback; some painful memory from her abusive past. He noticed there was a drop of blood on her face.

 

He didn't look at the screaming redhead. He couldn't. What had his brother done to her?

 

Bazz remained silent. He did not talk. He did not respond. He did not make eye contact with anyone. His eyes lifted to the catwalks, his brain registering the shock on the people's face who saw what happened on the warehouse floor.

 

One person just pulled the trigger. Twenty-three people just witnessed a murder.

 

His throat tried to work as the metallic smell of blood, urine, and feces filled the air. He could hear puke spattering somewhere. Apparently, some big bad gangster didn't have an iron stomach.

 

With a deep breath, Bazz raised his pale green eyes up to where the leader of the Nikko Yakuza organization stood. He tilted his head and scowled. Kenpachi Zaraki glared back as if to say this was his fault.

 

How was it his fault?

 

Green eyes cut to the small man. Oh. Right. The gun. Bazz had given Ulquiorra a weapon; this was the exact reason WHY Kenpachi didn't want the dark-haired man to have a gun.

 

Well, shit.

 

The sound of the gunfire had been loud and echoed through the room. Someone outside probably heard it. Things needed to be done. Things needed to happen.

 

What was Bazz good at besides charming women and making his hair defy gravity? Action. Swift and decisive action. He had to keep a calm and level head about this. After all, he was Sosuke Aizen's son and had seen this shit a million times before. While Tsukishima helped Aizen plan, scheme and plot scenarios; Bazz was part of the cleanup crew. He was the one who thought things through in the aftermath. Dead assholes always littered the life of a gangster. He swept them away. Their father never allowed them to go out on real missions or assignments that involved hand signals or stealth squads.

 

“Get Kurosaki down here to get Orihime!” Bazz shouted. “I know the kid is waiting outside. Tell him to—”

 

“Retsu and Isshin are already waiting with a car,” Kenpachi said.

 

Well great, Orihime would have someone to take care of her. Sadly, no one could take care of the body on the floor.

 

How the fuck did a doctor stitch brain matter back together and mend a skull that had been shattered by the force of a gunshot? How the fuck did you fix the memory of a blood splatter splashing across your face as your enemy-turned-lover was gunned down by the guy who knocked you up?

 

They fucking didn't and you fucking couldn't.

 

Without saying another word, Bazz grabbed his gun from Ulquiorra. “Grimmjow, get him away from here. Run. Get him to the car and leave. Go back to Nikko. To the house, the dojo; I don't care. You weren't here tonight. When you get home, wash the clothes you're wearing and shower. Make sure Cifer does the same. Hydrogen peroxide gets blood out of anything. Remember that.”

 

The mob boss had called out for someone to grab Nel. Grimmjow hesitated. Bazz knew he was wondering about Nel. “No, I need her,” the red-haired man said. “She needs to be a witness. After all, I participated in this.”

 

“Bazz.” It was the only word that Grimmjow said.

 

“Go, now.”

 

“Those who do not want to be caught when the police get here, leave. Find the vans and go.” He watched as twelve of Zaraki's men stood down, concealing their weapons. Someone went around and collected all the guns.

 

With a sigh, Bazz looked down at the puddle of blood forming under his brother's head. Grimmjow was right. His brother was a waste of space and a raping piece of shit. For shits and giggles, he shot Tsukishima in the shoulder a couple of times. If he was going to do this convincingly, he needed gunpowder residue on his hands and clothing.

 

The only sound that came from anyone was the sob that left Nel. He leveled his pale green eyes at the teal-haired woman. She looked like a gaping fish; out of its bowl and desperate for water.

 

He said the words that he should have said a long time ago. He did something that he should have done days ago. “I am paying for my crimes and transgressions against these women! I am accepting the blame for my brother's death. I did this. I killed Tsukishima!” Bazz yelled with a hard expression, daring anyone to challenge him.

 

Nel's head snapped up, and the horrified look she gave him about made him break down. He knew he was asking her to lie.

 

 Bazzard Black had two phone calls to make. First, he called the police and calmly reported the crime. Once he hung up, he scrolled through his contacts, casually tapped one, and put the phone to his ear.

 

When he was done, he could faintly hear sirens. He didn't have much time. Some people had left, scared to be seen at the scene of a murder. Bazz didn't think of them as cowards. They were just trying to preserve their own lives. Eight of Zaraki's men, Bazz and Nel were the only people left in the building. Ten people were about to deceive Sosuke Aizen and the law enforcement of Utsunomiya.

 

He walked over to Nel, who was sitting on the floor. She didn't glance at him as he squatted down in front of her. The mohawked man had to lift her chin with his hand.

 

The wails of law enforcement filled the air. He could hear cars screeching to a halt; doors opening and slamming shut; smart shoes on the pavement; voices calling out. Time was up. It was out. The hourglass was empty.

 

He was pissed off because now that future he'd been envisioning when the woman had been standing between him and Grimmjow was fading. The ideas he had in the car on the way over here were turning into dust. At least, he didn't have to be scared of Grimmjow trying to fuck him or make him suck dick. Not that he would have minded, he just probably had to be really drunk even to consider it.

 

This was his choice though. This was his reparation to Nel and Orihime; to Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. They got to live happily ever after.

 

Seven years for the guns, three years for firing it. Murder was punishable by the death sentence. It really depended on the number of bodies that were counted.

 

Bazz kissed Nel goodbye.

 

* * *

 

His lungs burned. Oh god, did they burn. They had to keep going. Just run. Just go.

 

Taptaptaptaptaptaptap.

 

Where the fuck had he parked the car? He couldn't fucking remember. Which direction was the warehouse?

 

Motherfucker!

 

Taptaptap tap tap tap tap. Two pairs of feet made staccato sounds on the cement, but they were slowing down.

 

Were they far enough away? Were they in the clear? Were they safe?

 

Grimmjow couldn't hear any sirens. He pulled Ulquiorra into a dark alley and peeked from around the corner. He listened to his friend retching. He looked at the dark-haired man with a wary eye as the man spilled his guts on the pavement.

 

Ulquiorra Cifer had shot someone.

 

Point blank.

 

In the forehead.

 

He had killed another human. He had shown no mercy to the villain who had stolen the redhead away and made her unresponsive. Bazz's brother didn't deserve to be shown leniency. He didn't earn anything in the way of kindness.

 

The man bent over and vomited again.

 

How did you eradicate a monster without becoming one?

 

The answer was simple. You didn't. You couldn't. Sometimes the worst monsters were the ones that lived inside of the mind and hibernating until the individual was pushed to the extremes. That's when they came out, and people did things they wouldn't normally do.

 

There had been so much strife and stress in Ulquiorra's life the past two years... Well, longer than that. Grimmjow knew his downfall had begun the day that the blue-haired man had told him his ex-girlfriend was a cheating bitch. Maybe it went back farther than that...

 

Ulquiorra had said nothing. No emotion. The male had been a robot. Until he met Orihime. That woman had turned his friend's world upside down so fast it hadn't been a laughing matter. He had his moments where he didn't show emotion thought even to this day.

 

Grimmjow had never seen Ulquiorra get sick a day in his life. The guy had upchucked the contents of his stomach and then some because he was dry heaving at this point.

 

He just observed as Ulquiorra slid down the brick wall and rested on his haunches; elbows digging into his thighs; pale fingers clutching at black hair. He noticed his friend's erratic breathing. He was panicking, or this was anxiety kicking in.

 

The blue-haired didn't know what to do. He could see that pale and ordinarily passive face. It was scrunched up in pain and other emotions. The man was having a meltdown or a breakdown. Grimmjow didn't know which one.

 

Ulquiorra's mouth was moving rapidly, but no sound was coming out. Was he was trying to talk? A sob wracked his body, and then a stream of incoherent babble came out.

 

Blue eyes went wide as Grimmjow as he witnessed this behavior from his best friend. He had never seen this side of Ulquiorra. Even when he was buried balls deep in him, the dark-haired man had been almost indifferent.

 

He had never realized how fragile he was. All it took was one pull or loose stitch to unravel something knitted. That's what was happening to Ulquiorra but maybe the man was down to the last stitches. Had that happened all those months ago? Everything that had been pulling at him and now he was totally undone.

 

Grimmjow didn't know what to do or how to help.

 

Somehow saying, “Congrats! You just killed someone!” wasn't the best response to something like this, even if the dead guy had been a complete douche and monster. So, he waited.

 

Silence. Ulquiorra breathing erratically. Grimmjow waited some more.

 

This wasn't helping. Ulquiorra looked like he was becoming catatonic. Shit. Who could he call in a situation like this? He couldn't even call anyone because of Nel pulling him into the bathtub for a fucking hug. He was planning on getting a new phone once the holidays were over.

 

The entire situation made him think of when Ulquiorra had gotten shot, and they were at the hospital. There was blood all over his hands and clothes. Grimmjow had been able to wash that blood from his hands.

 

Ulquiorra could never wash the blood off his hands. He couldn't wash away the life he took.

 

There were footsteps approaching, and Grimmjow whirled around, automatically raising his arm. He still held a gun.

 

Why the fuck did Grimmjow still have a gun?

 

It stunned him. And even more stunning was the fact that he was pointing it at a very surprised Soi Fon.

 

“Stand down, Asshole,” she said wrenching the firearm out of his hand with a quick twist of her wrist. “You're nine blocks too far from Cifer's car.”

 

“What?” Grimmjow asked. He couldn't fathom what she was talking about; he was still wondering why he had run away from the warehouse with a gun in his hand.

 

“Get Cifer to his feet and let's go.”

 

The man did as the small woman said and avoided the puddles of vomit. He reached for Ulquiorra's arm but the man shrank away from him. “C'mon, Ulq. We've got to go. We've worn out our welcome in Utsunomiya.”

 

Ulquiorra didn't protest as Bazz got him to stand. Grimmjow noticed he was walking mechanically. “Hey, Lady?”

 

“You will not address me as that!”

 

“Something is wrong with him.”

 

“Yeah, that happens when you kill someone the first time.”

 

“The first time? How many fucking people have you killed, Lady?”

 

“Not enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're probably wondering WHY Bazz would be smelling urine and shit besides blood... Well when someone dies, the muscles in their bodies relax, which means anything in your bladder and other orifices, leaks out. It doesn't happen everytime because maybe that person just went to the bathroom or had been deprived of food/water. BUT I've seen several people die and have done research in this and it happens.. 
> 
> David Gray - Please Forgive Me  
> Slipknot - Prelude 3.0  
> Madonna - The Power of Goodbye  
> Blue October - Picking Up The Pieces  
> Avenged Sevenfold - Paradigm  
> Linkin Park - One More Light  
> Shinigami - I Scraped My Face on The Pavement Ft. $hy  
> Slipknot - Snuff  
> Snow Patrol - Run  
> No Doubt - Running  
> Woodkid - Run Boy Run  
> Marilyn Manson - Running to the Edge of the World  
> Placebo - Running up that Hill


	2. Lumps of Coal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, Dad but the words are hollow as Aizen gets the news. Orihime finds she's not in the warehouse nor at home. Bazz isn't talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> This chapter contains violence which is to be expected, it's Aizen and with the news he got, I'd smack a ho too.

Brrrrrrrring.

 

Brrrrrrrring.

 

Brrrring.

 

“Aizen, your phone is ringing,” Tier mumbled sleepily.

 

“I hear it, Love but I'm trying to sleep,” the man lying beside the blonde woman said. He rolled over and squinted at the screen of the phone. He couldn't see a damn thing without his glasses. He put the device down and rolled towards his wife, sliding the palm of his hand up the curve of her waist.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Trying to go back to sleep,” Aizen said propping himself on an elbow and kissing Tier. He nuzzled the underside of her chin and she lifted her head exposing her neck. Aizen knew her lips would part once he placed a kiss on the hollow of her throat.

 

Brrrrrrrring.

 

Brrrrrrrring.

 

Brrrring.

 

“Aizen,” Tier admonished, rolling onto her stomach. “Answer it.”

 

The brown-haired man sighed, “Fine.”

 

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He picked up the phone and pushed the green circle. “Hello?”

 

“Dad.”

 

“Bazzard? Do you know what time it is?”

 

“Tsukishima's dead.”

 

“What did you say?”

 

“ _Merry Christmas_ , Dad. Hope you and Tier had a nice holiday.”

 

Aizen narrowed his eyebrows. “No, you fool! What did you just say?”

 

“Oh that. Tsukishima, your son; you know the legitimate one? He's dead.”

 

The line went dead and Aizen pulled the phone away from his face.

 

“Aizen? What's wrong? Who was that?” his wife asked, sitting up on the bed next to him.

 

The man looked at the blonde woman. Anger seeped through him slowly. Without warning, he pulled back his hand and let it fly across her face, slapping her. He left the bed, not caring that Tier was yelling at him. He went out into the penthouse and down to his office. Picking up the handset on his office phone, he pushed one button. The line rang and rang. No one picked up.

 

His slim fingers slammed the phone down. This was an elaborate trick. Tsukishima wouldn't be as dumb as to get himself killed. There had to be an explanation as to way Bazz would be calling him and telling him that. He was always such a spoiled child who thought he was too good for being a gangster.

 

The boy was a bastard child! What had he expected to do in life? He should have been harder on Bazz. He would start seriously training his son to be an actual thug than just a pretty boy.

 

“Sir,” a deep voice called from the doorway. It was Tosen. “I've just heard from Tsukishima's boys. He sent them away tonight on a hunch that Bazz would return.”

 

“And?”

 

“They've communicated that police are on their way to the warehouse. Gunfire was heard,” the black man said. “An ambulance was requested.”

 

“Who the fuck do we have on the Utsunomiya Police Force that can tell me what the hell is going on?!” Aizen screamed.

 

“There's Inspector Amagai. There's also Superintendent Plateado.”

 

“Get them on a phone. I want to talk to someone!”

 

* * *

 

Orihime felt herself riding in the back of a car. She leaned against something... no... someone. Someone who was hard muscled and warm. He was like the sun.

 

She didn't know why but she felt incredibly tired after that bee sting. Her eyes slid open and then closed. It only pinched for a second. It hurt though. She fell asleep as the body next to her rocked her gently. It felt nice not to feel anything for a little while.

 

Her body jerked awake. It was pitch black in the room she was in. A scream left her throat. “Tsu! Tsukishima! Please! Don't! Please!”

 

The door open, spilling light into the room. Three figures stood in the opening, casting shadows across her form like monsters in a cartoon. “Help me Tsukishima! Please!” she cried. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...”

 

Another light was turned on and Orihime had to blink and shield her eyes from being blinded. Who were these people? Where was she? Where was Tsukishima? She whimpered as they drew closer but one held it's hand up.

 

“Orihime?” It was a woman. Her voice was soothing. “My name is Retsu Unohana. I'm a doctor. This is my colleague, Isshin Kurosaki.”

 

Kurosaki? Wasn't that Ichigo's last name? Orihime blinked several more times before the faces came into focus. “Ichi—Ichigo's dad?”

 

“Well, at least she knows who you are, loser.”

 

Orihime could see them now. There was a woman with long black hair and wore a floaty sort of black dress. Her face was gentle. Next to her was Ichigo's dad with his black hair and a scruffy beard. He was in the white doctor's coat he normally wore. Behind them was a shock of orange hair, which could only belong to her friend.

 

“Ichigo!” the redhead said with a smile on her face.

 

“It's nice that you recognize us,” the woman said. “You've been through a lot over the past couple of weeks. Orihime, we need to give you an exam. Would you consent to me or Doctor Kurosaki to perform it?”

 

She bit her lip and looked at the woman. Tsukishima wouldn't like it if she allowed a man to touch her. “I will allow you to,” she stated.

 

The men were shooed out of the room and Orihime watched Unohana grab a pair of gloves from a box. She then put on a facial mask and some gown that went on over her clothes. It went like a normal doctor's exam but the woman asked her to lie down and spread her legs.

 

“Why?”

 

“Orihime, I would like to check and see if there is any internal damage. Once I am done with that, I will be checking the baby's heartbeat,” Retsu said.

 

The redhead nodded and did as asked. It was uncomfortable and her face flamed but it was over in minutes. A blanket was pulled up over her legs and placed under her pregnant belly, then she felt some gel stuff being squirted onto her stomach.

 

“I don't have any money I can pay you with right now,” Orihime said as the woman prepared the device.

 

Retsu smiled, “Don't worry about it. You are here because we would like you to get better and heal. Now, are you ready to hear the heartbeat?”

 

A nod. There was some gurgling from her insides and Orihime laughed. But soon she was hearing a sound that was weird. A rapid _woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh_.

 

“What is that?”

 

“That's your baby,” Retsu answered. She smiled at Orihime as she wiped her belly off with a paper towel and pulled the woman's hospital gown down. After helping the redhead to sit up, she said. “I'm going to give you something to sleep. You're going to need to rest in order to heal.”

 

“I don't want to go to sleep. I think I was having some kind of nightmare which woke me up.”

 

“Do you remember what happen over the past month?”

 

She nodded, “I don't want to though. I don't want to talk about it.”

 

The doctor seemed satisfied with this as she also nodded. “You're going to have to talk about it eventually, Orihime.”

 

“Can someone sit in here with me while I sleep?”

 

“I think that can be arranged.”

 

* * *

 

“Superintendent Plateado.”

 

“Arturo, what the hell is going on?”

 

“Shit.”

 

Aizen's grip on the phone tightened he'd been in his office for almost ninety minutes pacing the floor in his pajamas. No one could tell him a damn thing. Lowly officers tried to tell him to call back in the morning. Did they not understand who he was?

 

He could eliminate every God damn one of them from the face of the Earth!

 

“Aizen, you listening?”

 

“No, please repeat what you said,” the brown-haired man stated.

 

“Bazzard has been arrested. He had guns in his possession. Tsukishima was shot. There are eight other people we've detained who are from Nikko. Kenpachi's involved in this. I've got inspectors down at the warehouse where we were directed,” Plateado sighed. “You should come up here. We'll need someone to identify—”

 

The gangster hung up the phone.

 

Kenpachi.

 

He would burn all of Nikko to the ground. He would eliminate every single person in the Togichi Prefecture that was involved in this!

 

“Aizen, what's going on?”

 

He was drawn out of his thoughts by a woman's voice. Tier was standing in the open doorway of his office wrapped in a robe. Aizen could see the redness on her face where he'd hit her. “Bazz has been arrested and I have to go to Utsunomiya.”

 

“At three in the morning?”

 

Aizen nodded and removed his glasses before raking his hand through his hair. When had his youngest son called? It had been closer to midnight, hadn't it? It was going to be a long day. He would not rest until his questions were answered.

 

It had already been a long night. He'd been asleep. Bazz had called twice. The words he had said had been like a cold shock to his nerves. He did not want to believe them. The jolt that ran through his body had been dreadful. No parent wanted their child to call late at night with news like that. No parent should ever have to deal with something like this.

 

But Bazz had. Did he not understand these things? Did Bazzard lack the basic politeness of a child that he wasn't supposed to put his father through something like this?

 

“There's something you're not telling me,” the woman said.

 

He glanced at her. Of course, there was something he wasn't telling her. How could he say that his son and her former lover was—Aizen shook his head. “I don't know the details at the moment. They're sketchy at best. I'm going to get dressed.”

 

“Aizen, what did Bazz tell you that would cause you to strike me?”

 

There was nothing but silence as Aizen walked away from his wife and down the hallway. He searched his closet for something to wear. A pair of trousers, a button-down shirt, a blazer; he wouldn't wear a tie but he did lace a belt through the loops on his pants. It would seem too formal. His clothing was on his body and Aizen was putting on his shoes when Tosen appeared.

 

“Get the car warmed up and ready to go. Tell one of your boys to make sure I have some coffee, make it strong,” Aizen barked.

 

“Are you sure you wouldn't want something more potent?”

 

Aizen glanced up as he finished tying the laces of his shiny black leather shoes. “I need a level head for this, Kaname. ”

 

Tosen nodded. “It'll be done. Anything else you need?”

 

“No.”

 

The drive up to the smaller city was uneventful. Aizen sat on the passenger side of the car, sipping his coffee and checking over his business for that day. It was the normal everyday business; meetings with banks; checking the stock market; answering mail and summons, intimidating people who were pieces of shit.

 

He emailed his secretary, telling Momo to cancel all his appointments for the next week. Aizen & Sons Industries was profitable and could do without him lording over every single detail.

 

* * *

 

Aizen couldn't really understand what Inspector Amagai was telling him. He said words like Tsukishima, dead, Bazzard, gun, execution-style. He watched as his son was pacing in the questioning room. The kid with the bright red hair that he got colored every month had handcuffs around his wrist.

 

There was a slew of people saying they were witnesses. He picked out Kenpachi Zaraki, a woman with teal colored hair, and several others. All people from Nikko; all Kenpachi's men.

 

Why were all these witnesses Zaraki's men? Where were Tsukishima's men? Why did his son send his guards away? Did none of them witness whatever the crime was? Had none of hung back to help?

 

He had a sneaking suspicion that this was all due to Tsukishima's pet project. There were missing pieces though. Things weren't adding up. Tsukishima would never leave himself exposed. He would never purposely expose himself to danger!

 

“We're going to need you to identify the body, Aizen,” Amagai was telling him. “I can see if the morgue is ready to accept you—”

 

“May I speak to Bazzard?” he asked the man.

 

The guy seemed to consider the request for the moment. “I don't see why not. While you're in there I can speak to the medical examiner. You understand we'll be recording the conversation?”

 

“I understand that. Proper police protocol,” Aizen nodded. Standing and straightening his suit, he followed the rumpled man to the questioning room.

 

Amagai opened the door, allowing the groomed man inside. Bazz didn't even look his way when the door closed. He just kept stalking from side to side in that tiny room.

 

“Bazz,” Aizen said in a soft voice.

 

The mohawked man didn't answer him. Pace. Pace Pace. Step. Step. Step.

 

“Bazzard!”

 

His child stopped and his head slowly turned. Aizen realized that the mohawk had fallen flat and was in disarray. He watched as Bazz ran both of his hands through the red locks. That explained it. The thing he took the most pride in was his hair and it was the first thing he ruined.

 

“What did you do?”

 

The young man just scoffed and shook his head, resuming his pacing. It was starting to piss Aizen off. He needed answers! Bazz was the only one that had them!

 

“What did you do, Bazzard Black?”

 

“Ain't saying shit without a lawyer,” Bazz stated. “Call Jugo, get him up here.”

 

“You called me, woke me up and told me Tsukishima was dead. They arrested you, saying you shot your brother execution style and you want a lawyer?” Aizen asked in disbelief. “Are you fucking crazy, Bazz?”

 

“I'm not saying anything without a lawyer, Dad.”

 

“What did you do Bazzard Black? Answer me now.”

 

The words that came out of his biological child's mouth were words that would haunt him for the rest of his days.

 

“I did what I had to do since you never could or wanted to.”

 

* * *

 

There was a bullet hole that pierced the left side of Tsukishima's pale forehead. The burn marks outlined the front of the barrel of the gun. It had been pressed flush against his head. Two more bullet holes were in his shoulder.

 

His boy. His son. His blood. His child. His prodigy. His legacy.

 

It was all gone.

 

His jaw clenched achingly. Aizen had to harden himself against the emotions that threatened to overthrow him. He would not and could not cry with Tosen standing next to him. His slim fingers ran through Tsukishima's hair, smoothing it down.

 

“Is this Tsukishima Shukurou?”

 

Aizen nodded.

 

“We will be performing an autopsy—”

 

“No, you won't. There's no need. He died from a gunshot wound to the head, did he not?” Aizen's voice was pure venom as he addressed the morgue assistant.

 

“Standard procedure—”

 

“There will be a funeral home picking him up in a couple of hours,” the brown-haired man stated. Anger was rising up in his throat, making it burn. “If there is one fucking cut on him, I will end you. I will end everyone in this department. Do you understand? I do not consent.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damien Rice - Cannonball  
> David Bowie - As The World Falls Down  
> deadmau5 & Kaskade - I Remember  
> Deftones - Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)  
> Demxntia - I will never be a memory  
> Dido - White Flag (Collin McLoughlin Remix)  
> Disturbed - The Sound Of Silence  
> DJ Hype Zinc - Six Million Ways To Die  
> The Eden Project - Death Of A Dream  
> Embrace - Wish Em All Away


	3. A New Day, Another Dude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orihime gets a glimpse of Ulquiorra for the first time since the incident which leads to her breaking down. Ulquiorra gets pissy with people. Ichigo wants to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Dammit, Orihime. Dammit, Ichigo. :| Dammit all these characters that drive me crazy.

When she jerked awake this time, it was morning. Ichigo was sitting beside her, arms folded across his chest; chin tucked against his chest. He was asleep and she wasn't at home. She was in a hospital bed and had an IV needle stuck in her arm.

 

She was at his father's clinic. Had she been harmed? Was she hurt? Orihime didn't feel any pain.

 

Something was pushing at her brain, trying to impose its self on her. Something had happened. Why was she in the Kurosaki clinic? Why wasn't she with—What was his name?

 

Her eyes cut to the male figure sleeping beside her bed. Why was Ichigo in here? Her small hand reached out and ghosted over his coarse orange locks of hair. Had her friend been worried about her?

 

Nothing was making sense. Her brain felt like a puzzle with pieces missing. The problem was, those pieces were big ones and she couldn't connect anything to understand the picture.

 

“Ichigo?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Ichigo,” Orihime whispered, leaning over. She didn't want to disturb him but maybe he had some answers. She listened to his breathing, finding comfort in the steady rhythm. A small smile spread across her mouth.

 

She gave a contented sigh. Orihime didn't realize her hand was playing with Ichigo's hair and had traveled down to the man's neck. Her mind drifted, lost in thoughts as her fingers kneaded the tense skin beneath her hand.

 

“Mmmm, feels good.”

 

The pressing against her memories was stronger. Something dark was trying to invade her cheerful mood. She furrowed her brow, trying to think of what would have happened to her. Had she tripped and taken a nasty bump on the head? Had she gotten into an accident? Had something so traumatizing happened that people were worried about her safety?

 

“Orihime.”

 

“Oh! Ichigo,” her dark eyes were locked onto warm chocolate ones. She saw where her hand was and immediately removed it. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize that—”

 

The tall orange-haired man didn't say anything as he changed where he was sitting. He went from that uncomfortable plastic chair to her bed, after putting down the side railing that prevented people from falling out of bed. “It's okay. How are you feeling?”

 

She smiled. “I'm fine! I feel great. I—I—”

 

Instantly, her face fell, a feeling of despair ripped through her body. For some reason, Orihime found herself clinging tightly to Ichigo, arms going around his neck. Shudders wracked her body and it was as if she could not breathe.

 

“Orihime? Are you alright? Do you want me to go get my dad or Retsu?”

 

She shook her head and buried her face into his neck. This was familiar. It had been a long time but it was familiar. It was after Ulquiorra.

 

 _Ulquiorra_.

 

Her throat worked to swallow and she tried to keep the panic from overwhelming her. Ichigo was anchoring her, keeping her from washing away in this sea of dark emotions.

 

“Orihime?” His hands were rubbing her back. It felt nice. It felt really nice. She lifted her face slightly, nuzzling her nose against his neck. She kissed the skin. The redhead couldn't help noticed Ichigo's voice went up several octaves when she pulled away. “Orihime?” he repeated his question.

 

“Shhh, I just want to—” Her hands were tangling themselves in his hair, pulling his face down to hers. Orihime was kissing him aggressively, pressing her breast against his chest. “I just want to forget,” she panted.

 

She couldn't even remember. What was she trying to forget?

 

“No!” Ichigo had pushed her away and stood. “You need to focus on healing, Orihime. I'm going to get my dad,” he said in a strained voice.

 

With that, the orange-haired man opened the door and walked out. The wood barrier didn't shut fast enough because she saw who was behind it.

 

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. They both looked exhausted. The dark-haired man was staring at her with his dark green eyes.

 

The memories hit her like someone landing a knockout punch.

 

Grimmjow.

 

Bazzard.

 

 _Ulquiorra_.

 

 _Tsukishima_.

  
Oh God. _Tsukishima_. The blood. The sound. The way the man's face went blank after the bullet entered his head. Her dark eyes went wide and filled with tears as she stared at that the man responsible for his murder.

 

Someone pulled the door shut and as soon as it was closed she let out a wail and tears slid down her face.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra's head turned when that door opened. He saw Orihime. Truth be told, he was still in shock. He knew what he did; what he had done. It didn't seem real. It was a dream.

 

Seeing her and the way she looked at him further hardened the cement that he had killed a man. He'd done it in cold blood too. He did it in a fit of anger; of rage. He did it because of her!

 

When the doctor closed the door and that sound of a wounded person filled the hallway, Ulquiorra visibly flinched. The three men could hear the woman sobbing. They all looked uncomfortable.

 

“She needs time,” Isshin said. “There's no visible trauma to her physically. We have no clue about the baby. I have a friend who is in obstetrics. He's going to see her sometime today. I'll be taking her to his clinic.”

 

“Did Retsu say anything?” Ulquiorra asked.

 

“Very little. That woman holds her client's secrets tighter than a toddler with candy,” the man said. “She just said, Orihime _needs_ time. She'll be coming here every couple of days to talk to her.”

 

“How long are you keeping her?”

 

Isshin sighed. “Ulquiorra, look, I know you want her back home but her mental state at the moment is fragile. It's up to Retsu how long she stays. You're welcome to stick around until the therapist gets here but I wouldn't go into Orihime's room.”

 

The dark-haired man sighed and glanced at the man who was standing beside him. Grimmjow didn't say a word, he just stared at him. Ulquiorra's cheeks colored and he turned around and exited the clinic, walking to his car. He opened the passenger side and got into the vehicle.

 

Grimmjow had been frantic after that woman found them. He was spouting off about Ulquiorra becoming catatonic and shutting down. He wasn't. He just couldn't handle it at that moment. Once they found the car, the blue-haired man started driving and they went home.

 

He had been exhausted but he followed Bazz's instructions. He took off his clothes and threw them into the washer and started the load of clothes. Then he went to take a shower. He stood under the spray of water in the second bathroom and was surprised when a draft of cold air hit him.

 

Grimmjow had opened the shower door.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?”

 

“Shut up, Ulquiorra.”

 

His back was pressed against the cold tile wall and he hissed. Grimmjow was kissing him, lifting him up. The dark-haired man knew what to do, his legs and arms wrapped around Grimmjow's neck and hips. He had to hold on because the other man was slippery from the water beating on his muscled body.

 

They had sex, not just once but twice that night. Ulquiorra had shoved the man off of him in the morning. They were in his bed in his room. Grimmjow hadn't used protection, so now Ulquiorra smelled gross; he was sticky and sore. He took another shower and this time he locked the damn door.

 

The blue-haired man tried to coddle him and he couldn't stand it. “Don't” he hissed. “Stop it.”

 

“Look, man, I'm just trying—”

 

“I said stop. I don't need whatever you are trying to do. You've done enough,” Ulquiorra stated.

 

“Ulq, I'm just trying to deal with—”

 

He scoffed and then left the house, going out into the garden. It had snowed overnight. Everything was covered with a fresh dusting of white powder. He huffed a breath out, indignant. How could anyone understand how he felt?

 

Ulquiorra had taken a life. He didn't understand why he wasn't in jail at the moment or why Aizen wasn't pounding on his door.

 

There was nothing human about Tsukishima's behavior but he had been a person and Ulquiorra had ended his life. The asshole had a family, maybe a wife or a girlfriend. No, that man had no one he loved. He had been a monster in an empty human shell.

 

“Hey, Ulq!” Grimmjow yelled from the house. The blue-haired man had poked his head out of the sliding glass door in the kitchen.

 

“Would you quit calling me that?” Ulquiorra shouted in anger.

 

“You're such a bitch. Isshin just called. He wants us to come up to Karakura and talk to him.”

 

* * *

 

The doctor had come and given her some type of medication to calm down. He told her that the men had left. Did she want to talk? Was she thirsty or hungry?

 

Orihime hadn't said anything. She just laid back on the bed and stared at the window. She sighed. Her mind was racing as different thoughts and memories assaulted her.

 

This entire situation wasn't supposed to end up like this. Tsukishima had told her he was only keeping her for two weeks. It turned into three. He said he didn't have—couldn't have feelings for anyone. He only kept her in her cell when she was sleeping and when Bazz was around. She was only naked when the red-haired man had been around.

 

He was kind to her. He talked to her about anything she wanted to know. He told her about his childhood as a youngster with Yakuza parents and a half-sibling. The sex was good. He made her toes curl with the orgasms. They had been ones that had slowly burned until she couldn't hold on.

 

He introduced her to some freaky shit too. Some of it she liked and others, well... She knew she didn't like figging. It hurt. She had only experienced it because Orihime had dug her nails into his shoulders deep enough to make him bleed.

 

Spanking was okay but he only did as a punishment. He liked putting clamps on her pierced nipples and pulling on them while he was fucking her. She would cry out so much that he would use a gag to silence her.

 

He liked her to have multiple orgasms until it became too intense but he'd keep playing with her clit or ass while fucking her, depending on what part of her body he was using. Sometimes, he'd actually fuck her face. The first time he did it, she blushed horribly after it happened. He liked for her to deep throat him and worship his cock. Orihime had told him she didn't have much experience with blowjobs.

 

Sometimes, he would torture her so much with riding crops, vibrators, and other implements that gave pleasure, she would start getting turned on by whatever he was doing and would beg for him.

 

Tsukishima was a totally different people when no one was around. When they were in his office, he'd do a one-eighty. He held her in his lap, stroking and caressing her face. He'd cuddle or nuzzle her. He would spend minutes kissing her that would leave her breathless and be wanting more.

 

She hated it at first because it was all supposed to be an act; a performance. It was to protect Ulquiorra. She had done everything for that man. Orihime found herself falling for him. He was an uncomplicated person. He didn't put up walls or close himself off from others.

 

All Ulquiorra had done was take him away from her. He murdered Tsukishima. Why was he free? Why wasn't he in prison for what he had done?

 

Tears slipped out of her and she angrily wiped them away. With time, she could have brought Tsukishima out of his emotionally guarded mind. She could have made him feel something for her.

 

Her room door open and Ichigo's head popped in. He eyed her for a second before stepping into the room. “Hey, Orihime, I brought you some food. It's just soup and a sandwich that Yuzu made,” he said.

 

She nodded. “Thanks.”

 

“Uh, about earlier—” He walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He set the plate of food onto the tray table, rolling it closer to Orihime.

 

“Don't Ichigo. I just wanted to forget everything. You were right. I need to focus on getting better,” she said, turning her face back to the window and the winter scene on the other side.

 

“It's not that, Orihime. I wanted to but right now—It wouldn't be fair of me to take advantage of you.”

 

Orihime looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. “How would you be taking advantage of me?”

 

The orange-haired man shrug. “I don't know but it didn't seem right.”

 

“You're not a virgin are you?”

 

“What? No. I've had—”

 

She let out a small chuckle. “Just forget it, Ichigo.”

 

“I don't want to forget it,” he said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evanescence - My Heart Is Broken  
> familypet - Your Backyard  
> A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover  
> Five Finger Death Punch - Remember Everything  
> Foo Fighters - February Stars  
> Gavin Rossdale - Landslide (Stripped)  
> Go Radio - House Of Hallways  
> guccihighwaters - chipped black nails  
> Halsey - Sorry  
> HONNE - Woman  
> Howie Day - I'll Take You On


	4. 3AM, You Must Be Lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nel sees Bazz for the last time. Kenpachi calls in a favor. Aizen sneers. Nel has a bad dream and tries to raid the kitchen at 3am only to be thwarted by her now former friend. Grimmjow and her talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> SEX IN THIS CHAPTER!

 Kenpachi had drop Nel off at her house later that afternoon while Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were in Karakura.

 

The cops had been relentless as they questioned the eight people. It'd been non-stop. They were trying to find holes in the story each of them gave. Their stories meshed together well. It all had been rehearsed before the even departed from the police van. They just had been covering their asses. It was protocol.

 

Eight people and Nel were handcuffed and led to a van. Bazz was taken to a police cruiser. That was the last time Nel had seen him. She had called out to him before he ducked his head into the car. He grinned at her and winked. He'd been the first one to be questioned and then put in a lockup cell somewhere.

 

Nel wished he hadn't kissed her like that before the police burst into the room to rip him away from her.

 

The Nikko warlord had pointed out Aizen as he strode into the station. Nel didn't have time to study the imposing man's features as he sneered at them when he walked by the group.

 

Bazz was deflecting. They were in the warehouse because of Bazz. The red-haired man shot Tsukishima in self-defense. That was the long and the short of it. That was the lie.

 

Kenpachi had been the one to call Jushiro. It wasn't surprising the man got here quickly, dressed in a suit carrying a briefcase. He looked agitated.

 

“Ju, thanks for coming man.”

 

“Where _is_ he? Where's Bazz now?”

 

“I dunno,” Kenpachi said. “Probably down in the cells.”

 

Jushiro raised an eyebrow at the big man. “Has Aizen arrived? How could you let this happen? Do you know what this will cause? Shunsui—”

 

“I take full responsibility for this.”

 

"Of course, you will! We had nothing to do with this."

 

"Why was Aizen's kid found in Utsunomiya then?

 

Nel didn't say anything as a police officer led Jushiro away into the interior of the building. “Is Jushiro a lawyer?”

 

Kenpachi nodded. “Every organization has their own team of doctors, lawyers, law enforcement, and city officials under their thumbs. I don't think Don would appreciate me telling you this.”

 

“Don should have never brought us to Nikko then,” Nel retorted.

 

The man huffed. “He was trying to get out of the life, Nel. He didn't want his future family to get wrapped in this shit. As soon as he found out you were with that piece of shit Gilga... He wanted me to do something about the man. I told him I couldn't. I should have. You should have never—”

 

“It's no one's fault but my own Kenpachi.”

 

“I suppose. But now you're involved and Don's pissed off at me because I allowed you to be,” he stated.

 

“How long have you an Don been friends?”

 

Kenpachi chuckled. “Shit. Since birth. Our families go way, way back.”

 

“Zaraki, your turn!”

 

On and on it went until the police called her.

 

“Tu!”

 

The teal-haired woman looked up. Kenpachi nodded at her and motioned for her to follow the man. She did so with shaking legs. The entire questioning process, she couldn't remember the exact questions but she knew her answers.

 

The Inspector had sighed.

  
  
“May I see Bazz for a minute?”

 

“Why? Is that his kid in you?”

 

“No, but—”

 

“Get the hell out of here.”

 

The drive with the nine of them in the van was silent. As they stopped at the dojo, Nel saw Grimmjow's car. She didn't have the keys to it. All she had were her house keys and the ones that went to Candy Ink.

 

Shit. Her business. Had Pesche been keeping the place open? Shaking her head, Nel found that she could care less about her shop at the moment. She just wanted to get home, take a bath and crawl into her bed.

 

Which is what she did until she stood at her bedroom door. The last time she was in this room, she had been with Bazz. The room smelled like a mix of Bazz's expensive cologne and Nel. It wasn't unpleasant, just unwanted at the moment.

 

That _kiss_. The boyish _grin_ that drove her to do stupid shit. _That wink_.

 

Maybe she should have taken the opportunity to fuck him before they embarked on an adventure that would change all of their lives. Maybe she should have had a threesome with him and Grimmjow. She was only afraid that they would think she was a whore. She had also held back because less than twenty-four hours before that, she had been raped. It made sense to her at the time. Nel wished she had less common sense.

 

The past two days seemed unreal. The past week seemed to be a bad dream. She sank to her knees in the doorway of her room and started sobbing. She didn't hear the footsteps behind her but she felt strong arms lift her up. She opened teary eyes to see sky blue hair.

  
“Take me to your bed. Get a couple of condoms first,” she stammered. The look on Grimmjow's face wasn't one of happiness.

 

* * *

 

BANG.

 

The jolt of red hair. The soft thud of a body. Nel was staring at Bazz lying on the ground with blood puddling under his head. She was confused. That hadn't been Bazz. She looked at the person holding the gun. It was Ulquiorra.

 

BANGBANG!

 

The man then shot the body on the floor two more times. The dark-haired man turned the gun on her and pulled the trigger.

 

Nel sat up, throat working to draw in gulps of oxygen. What the hell was that? Her hands roamed over her face and chest, making sure she was in one piece. What was that? Why?

 

It had been a dream, right? It was only a dream. Bazz was alive. He was in jail and being charged with murder and a slew of other things, but he was alive. That was the important thing.

 

Her chest heaved as she tried to gain control of her breathing. It was dark in the room, Grimmjow lay close next to her. It had been afternoon when she fell asleep. She found the alarm clock in the room and squinted at the numbers. It was three in the morning.

 

Grimmjow had let her sleep a long time. She would have laid back down but she needed to pee and her stomach rumbled. Nel sighed. Stupid bodies. The need to pee became more intense as her daughter delivered a swift kick to her bladder.

 

She glared at the bump and the man lying next to her before she scooted off the bed. Nel walked down the hall to the bathroom and after washing her hands, she padded over to the kitchen. There were Ulquiorra's premade bentos and other containers of food in the fridge. She shoved past them all and realized she didn't want any of this food.

 

Nel wanted pancakes... the light, fluffy, and thick kind that were found in Tokyo. There was no way she was going to drive to Tokyo for fucking pancakes. What else could she eat? What else did she want?

 

Were there any burger places open at three in the morning? Probably not. French fries... Pizza. She shook her head. If she gave into her cravings, she was going to get fat. But didn't she deserve some treats since her kidnapping? Tsukishima's lackeys had fed her rice and water every day.

 

Fuck it. Nel now knew that life was too short to not enjoy some guilty pleasures.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

She stood up and closed the refrigerator to see Ulquiorra standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Her appetite was gone now. Irritation bristled along her spine and she narrowed her eyes at the man.

 

Him.

 

“None of your business,” she said, bitterness lacing her voice.

 

“Is Bazz here—”

 

“Don't you dare say his name! Don't you _dare_ speak it!” Nel spat. She could feel her blood pressure rising just being around this asshole. “You are not allowed to say his name, do you understand?”

 

“I just want to apologize—”

 

Nel let out a spiteful laugh. “Apologize? Apologize for what? What could you possibly apologize for, Ulquiorra? He's in jail because of you! He's possibly going to prison because of you killing his brother.”

 

“What?”

 

“Oh, you didn't know. Bazz took the blame for shooting Tsukishima. He was charged with murder,” she revealed. She watched as the expression on his face morphed into disbelief, anger then relief. It irritated her to no end. “Yeah, you're off the hook.”

 

“That's not—”

 

“ _Bullshit_.”

 

Nel turned and walked into bedroom via the door in the kitchen. She slammed it hard and then crawled back into the bed. Her stomach protested but there was no way she was going to go back out into the kitchen. Her entire body was shaking with anger and tears slipped down her face.

 

She wouldn't forgive Ulquiorra. There was no way to repair the damage to their friendship. He destroyed it when he pulled the trigger.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow woke up and had propped his head up with the palm of his hand. He was looking down at the woman asleep at his side. Nel was curled into him, leg thrown over his hip; hand on his rib cage, the other under her face. He couldn't help wonder if this is how she slept when next to the red-haired man.

  
The Nel he knew would never get this close to him at night. They had their boundaries. Had being with Ulquiorra and Bazz broke that wall inside of her that she would now accept cuddling at night?

 

If so, he would personally thank each man because he missed this woman. He missed her body, her friendship, her conversations about nothing. Grimmjow missed her laughter.

 

Yesterday after coming home, he found the teal-haired woman in the hallway crying. He had done as she asked, those two condoms were laying on the bedside table, unused. He had tucked her into bed and rubbed her back until she fell asleep. Yeah, Nel protested at first but Grimmjow wouldn't fuck a crying chick... ever. It just went against his moral code.

 

With a groan, he rolled over and sat up, getting out of bed. His hard-on could wait. He had other matters to attend to and once he was finished, he was back in the bed. Nel had rolled to her other side, he could see the curve of her ass peeking from where the blanket didn't cover.

 

Grimmjow had tried fucking his pain, confusion and other emotions dealing with the situation away with Ulquiorra but the man was resistant. The blue-haired man didn't understand it. If the smaller man didn't want it, why didn't he say no? Late yesterday morning had been hell to deal with because of the way the guy was acting.

  
He was trying to be the knight in shining armor for the man. He didn't need to such a bitch about it.

 

This woman though. This beautiful, soft, curvy, broken woman was back in his bed and his arms. He only had her because Bazz was now out of the picture. That thought dampened his desire somewhat. Grimmjow had missed Nel badly.

 

After positioning himself behind her, he placed his hand on her knee then slid his hand slowly up her outer thigh, feeling the smooth skin. The woman's breathing only changed marginally but it was enough that Grimmjow felt he could keep touching her.

 

He moved his hand, rubbing it over her ass, caressing and squeezing it gently. It was so warm to the touch. Grimmjow could feel himself getting harder. He had to be gentle. The doctor's orders and Nel's words came back to him.

 

 _Trauma. Anally raped_.

 

If Tsukishima could be brought to life, Grimmjow would have done so and then killed him again. Nel would survive whatever the man had done to her. That's what she did best. She survived.

 

He groaned. This tug of war inside of him was starting to drive him crazy. He wanted her but at the same time, he knew she needed her space.

 

“You gotta problem, _Grimm_?” Wide hazel eyes were staring at him, sleepily.

 

He gave her a hint of a grin. “Maybe. Why would you think I have a problem?”

 

“Because your dick is poking me in the ass cheek,” she said rolling over to face him. Nel stretched her neck and nuzzled the underside of his chin.

 

Automatically his arms went around her, holding her tight, pressing her tits into him. Fucking hell, he missed this. He missed this so much. Nothing would ever come in between him and this woman again. “Nel,” he said looking down at her, his voice thick with emotion and longing.

 

She didn't say anything, just cuddled closer to him, rubbing her nose against his muscled chest. Grimmjow sighed, lifting her chin with two fingers. She didn't resist his kiss; it was light and teasing. He couldn't help hold back a groan when her lips parted, letting their tongue touch each other.

 

He decided to let her control this; to go at her pace instead of his. If she needed this from him then Grimmjow would give her all that she could handle.

 

He rolled them over so that she was on top of him. She was wiggling down and he about threw that idea out the window when he felt wetness against his erection. Shit. Grimmjow stared at Nel like she was insane.

 

She was moving her hips against him. Wet folds parted and were sliding up, down and against him. He had to close his eyes in pleasure, making a guttural sound in the back of his throat. Nel had never done anything like this.

 

It was hot as hell. It made Grimmjow want more. He stopped the woman by grabbing her hips.

 

“What are—”

 

“Shhh.” Grimmjow reached between their bodies adjusting himself so that his dick was pressed against his stomach and Nel. She seemed to get the idea because she was now sitting up and her hands were between her legs. Heat; liquid heat was against the underside of his cock as she began to rock her hips.

 

“Grimm,” she whined, placing her hands on his chiseled, muscled stomach. If this felt awesome to him, he could only imagine what it felt like for her.

 

Whimpers started pouring from her mouth once Grimmjow decided he was going to participate in this torture. His hands reached up, fingers touching her nipples, slowly circling the sensitive nubs of flesh. His own hips starting moving with hers.

 

Moaning, Nel was going faster, Grimmjow matching her pace until she cried out, her body shivering on top of him. Still, he didn't relent. She had come and he wanted to do the same thing. It was made easier now that she was wetter. He pressed her hips down on his cock as fucked himself against sensitive flesh.

 

It did not take long for Grimmjow's own orgasm to overtake him and he was coming all over his stomach. Nel rolled off of him and they both lay there breathing hard.

 

“Jesus, Woman.”

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“The fuck was that?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

Grimmjow chuckled. “Whatever it was, we need to add it to our routine because fuck, man!”

 

“ _Our routine_?” Nel raised her head to look at Grimmjow. “What does that mean?”

 

He turned his head and stared at her with icy blue eyes. “Don't _even_ do this Nel. I'm not playing around. You're mine now. I only want you. Fuck Orihime. Fuck Ulquiorra. They don't matter anymore. It's you and me and that bundle of joy inside of you.”

 

The woman looked like she could have melted into a pile of goo at that moment. “Do you—Do you mean that? But what about—”

 

He saw how she bit her lip, she was thinking of something. “What about what or _who_?”

 

“Bazz?”

 

“Is in jail.”

 

“Still, I—”

 

“You can have him too,” Grimmjow said turning his gaze to the ceiling of the room. “This is karma. It's a taste of my own medicine. It's payback. It's my past choices coming back to bite me on the ass. We need to go back to the basics of us though. We need to talk more. More us. Communication and no expectations, wasn't that our motto?”

 

“And if Bazz should get out of jail?”

 

“We'll burn that bridge—” Nel made a noise. Grimmjow sighed. “Fine. _Cross_ that bridge when we get to it. You'll get bored of him eventually.”

 

“Grimmjow!”

 

He glanced at her. “He's a stupid thug with a pretty face. There's not much behind that believe me, I've experienced a conversation with Bazz.”

 

She scoffed. “You don't know his interests. He loves cars, video games, horror movies and his hair. You like cars, video games, and your hair. You two also like playing with wood.”

 

Grimmjow playfully glared at Nel because he knew she wasn't talking about actual wood but the kind in men's pants. “I wouldn't mind getting a console to play games on again.”

 

“We're going to be parents. We won't have time for that,” Nel scolded.

 

“She's not here yet!” He said sitting up. Reaching over, he grabbed some tissues out of the box to wipe off his stomach and dick. He'd clean up better once he got to the bathroom again. “You want to go get some breakfast somewhere?”

 

“Can I get a hamburger, pizza, and french fries? Oh and pie! I want a coconut crème pie. Oh and—”

 

Grimmjow's eyebrow furrowed listening to her tick off all the things she wanted to eat. “What the hell?”

 

Nel pouted as she sat up. “What? It's food I'm craving, don't look at me like that! I am pregnant and it's all your fault!”

 

“I like you being pregnant,” Grimmjow said, grinning at her.

 

“Great, you've got a pregnancy fetish,” Nel deadpanned and hit him in the face with a pillow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Auburn - Perfect Two  
> BANKS - Fuck With Myself  
> Björk - Pagan Poetry  
> Broken Social Scene - Lover's Spit  
> Chlöe Howl - Magnetic  
> Chris Holmes - I Don't Care What My Friends Say  
> Demi Lovato - Ruin The Friendship  
> Demi Lovato - Sexy Dirty Love  
> Divide The Day - Fuck Away The Pain  
> DNCE - Toothbrush  
> Dua Lipa - Blow Your Mind (Mwah)  
> Dua Lipa - Hotter Than Hell  
> The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Police Station


	5. Show Me Where It Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra gets his license and goes to see Unohana for his first "therapy" session. He doesn't like it. He then gets bad news from Nel who isn't taking pity on him. He then decides to go visit Orihime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> These idiots sure are fucking clueless and the beginning of Ichihime *Disgust face* You know there's gonna be repercussions in the next chapter.

Several days later, Ulquiorra was looking down at the piece of paper that claimed he now was a legally liscensed driver. Grimmjow was standing next to his car while Nel was standing next to Grimmjow's Honda.

 

“I can't believe they're going to let you on the road,” Grimmjow said with a smirk. “Remember, in the snow, you're gonna want to drive like you're taking your granny—”

 

“Stuff it,” Ulquiorra said. “Give me my keys.”

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“I'm sorry, _Father_ , I didn't know I had to ask to take my own car,” the dark-haired man snapped sarcastically. He'd been a bad mood since the encounter with Nel in the middle of the night. It hadn't gotten any better either because he started to feel remorse and guilt over what he did. He was humanizing Tsukishima. “If you must know, I've got an appointment with Retsu.”

 

He didn't miss the way the blue-haired man threw a look over at the woman. “My keys, now,” Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow gestured to the car. The smaller man could see them hanging in the ignition. “Thanks, I'm going now.”

 

“My boy is growing up,” the blue-haired man said in a mocking voice.

 

Ulquiorra glared at the other male. “Fuck you, Grimmjow.”

 

“You sure you want to go—”

 

“Grimm, we've got stuff to do,” Nel said, her tone sharp.

 

The dark-haired man jerked the car door open and got in, making sure his seat belt was fastened before he turned the car on. He waited for Nel and Grimmjow to leave. His animosity towards the couple was rising and he didn't know why. Was it because he had sex with Grimmjow again? Was it Nel's revelation that Bazz had taken the fall for him?

 

It didn't help that the Yakuza therapist wanted to talk to him. She even set up an appointment for him. All he had to was drive over to the address he was given. By the looks of it, the address was Kenpachi's house. He remembered the woman mention something about having her practice attached to the home.

 

When the other car pulled out from the parking space, Ulquiorra let out a sigh he had been holding. Tension left his body. He hated feeling this way. He hated feeling resentment toward others. He just wanted to be a passive and numb individual again.

 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and plugged it into the auxiliary cable. He tapped an app on the screen and music started playing. He put the music on shuffle and started to drive. Ulquiorra didn't find the activity that nerve-wracking as some of the people who took the test said it was. An individual had to be level-headed and—

 

“You _fucking_ fool! Where the _hell_ is your turn signal?” Ulquiorra yelled as he was cut off by a delivery truck that cut across two lanes of traffic to turn down a smaller street. Maybe he should just stick to taking the bus, instead of driving. When he was a rider, he didn't have to deal with too much stupidity. So far, he had seen at least seven traffic violations from twenty different people.

 

In ten minutes, he was sitting outside the Yakuza warlord's moderate dwelling. He sat there looking at the house and wondered if Yachiru was inside. That was the last thing he needed was to see her and hear her stupid nicknames. He probably would snap and who knew what he would do now.

 

Truth be told, he hadn't been thinking when he kissed the teenager. He had let instinct take over. It was like the night that Tsukishima had been shot. A different part of his brain took over. Plus the different incidences with people in the past two years, it just showed him how bad emotions were.

 

The music broke through his thoughts and he stared at the screen of his phone. Ulquiorra scoffed. Fucking music.

 

“ _No one ever has to face tomorrow but I'm the one that has to face me._ ”

 

Yeah, no one ever had to wake up tomorrow. No one had any obligations to anyone to wake up the next morning. It was done because that's what humans did. They woke up. They went to work. They were like ants scurrying to and fro for the good of the world.

 

No one had to deal with the shit he had dealt with.

 

“ _It's the demons, I've created for myself. The tragic truth. It's hard for me to understand myself._ ”

 

He hadn't created these demons. They'd been manufactured by others who forced them upon Ulquiorra. He didn't ask for anything this life had presented him.

 

The only tragic truth he had experienced was the fact that he knew nothing. The fucking truth was he didn't understand a fucking thing. He didn't understand one god damn thing about him or anything he'd learned in life.

 

It was a hard fucking pill to swallow too.

 

* * *

 

“How are you today Mr. Cifer?”

 

“How am I suppose to answer that question?” Ulquiorra asked, sitting across from Retsu Unohana. Her office was soft, gentle and soothing. It was to be expected from a psychiatrist.

 

“However you'd like.”

 

“I'm—I'm—I don't know.”

 

“I find that's normal for people in your circumstances.”

 

“You don't know shit about my circumstances!”

 

Retsu smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. “I'll have to ask you to curb your language while in my office.”

 

Ulquiorra had trouble swallowing at that moment but he nodded his head. There was something about this woman that was utterly terrifying. “You know what I did?”

 

The woman nodded.

 

“I did it while in a blind rage. I didn't even realize... I couldn't process what I did until Grimmjow and I stopped in an alley,” Ulquiorra said. “I ended up getting sick and then it hit me. I took someone's life.”

 

Retsu was silent as the woman crossed her legs over each other and stared at him with those gentle eyes. She was waiting for him to continue. Ulquiorra studied her for a moment.

 

“I'm not used to emotions. I learned at a young age to hide my emotions. I was a quiet child. I rarely threw fits or tantrums,” he stated. “I'm not sure if you need to know that.”

 

“It's fine. Grimmjow said that you were unemotional and that the junior high you attended actually was worried you were autistic. Would you say you're unemotional?”

 

“No, well, I was to a point until two years ago. I met Orihime about 2 years and some months ago. My entire world went to hell. It was crazy. I became a monster. Before I met her, I didn't really feel anything. I was a robot. I was mechanical.”

 

“How did you become a “monster”, I don't quite understand that.”

 

Ulquiorra sighed. “The day I met Orihime, I ordered an escort because she—I got angry when I met her and I wanted to take it out on something. I remember ordering a redheaded escort. It was like a bubble popping inside me”

 

Retsu pursed her lips. “Grimmjow said you weren't much of a person who needed sexual outlets.”

 

The dark-haired man scowled. “When did you ask him this?”

 

“He told me about you years ago when he was seeing me after Nnoitra's death. I remember details about you. Your story always intrigued me.”

 

“He never said anything.”

 

“He wouldn't. Then he stopped coming. I think he talks to a different doctor. His bandmate, Zommari Rureax.”

 

“Zom's a shrink?”

 

“Almost, he has a couple of months left in school.”

 

“You know a lot about people,” Ulquiorra said. He didn't trust the woman entirely. “What do you think it feels like to kill someone?”

 

“What makes you think I haven't?”

 

His heart lurched for a moment. What was this woman saying? She appeared as if she wouldn't hurt a bug. Hell, she didn't want him cursing in here. “Have you?”

 

“Mr. Cifer, I am the lover of a Yakuza leader. I've gotten pulled into many fights. I've been used as bait. I've killed countless who thought they could cross the Kenpachi. I don't use guns,” she said and looked at a spot on the wall.

 

Ulquiorra had to turn where he sat on the couch and he saw a katana sitting in some kind of stand on the bookshelf. The silk thread wrapped around the hilt of the weapon was stained a dark red. He turned his head and glanced at the woman who was sitting there calm as could be.

 

“I think our time is up, Ulquiorra. You'll come see me in two weeks, won't you?”

 

“I don't think—”

 

“You'll come see me in two weeks, won't you?” she repeated her question.

 

Ulquiorra nodded, “Yes, two weeks.”

 

* * *

 

It was snowing when he pulled his car up to Candy Ink. It seemed like such a long time since he had been inside of the building. He hadn't come back since Orihime stormed out of the building. With a sigh, he turned his car off and then exited the warm vehicle.

 

He stepped through the front door to see Rangiku sitting at the front counter. He nodded to the woman and walked through the black curtain. He walked down the hall to his tattooing room and went inside. There was a good amount of dust on everything.

 

It figured.

 

Ulquiorra sat down on the stool in the room and sighed. There was a knock at the door and he only looked up as Nel's head popped in.

 

“Office now.”

 

With all the tension, he knew where this was going. Ulquiorra wished he could take everything back. He wished he could go back to the day he met Grimmjow and refused the boy's friendship. Those people didn't need him.

 

He stood and made his way down to Nel's office. She was standing there, leaning against her desk, arms were folded across her chest, head pointed down to the floor.

 

“Just tell me,” he said, standing in the doorway.

 

“Shut the door.”

 

“Just tell me.”

 

“No. Shut the door.”

 

With a flash of annoyance, Ulquiorra walked into the office and he shut that damn door. He leaned against it. “Well?”

 

“You no longer work here.”

 

“I figured that when you told me to come down here,” he retorted.

 

Nel glared at him. “I wanted to tell you _why_ I was firing you.”

 

He scoffed. “I don't need to know that.”

 

She nodded, “Yes, you do. You've attacked me in my office. You've tried to pressure me into having a relationship with you when I had no desire to be in one.”

 

“I just didn't understand. Why did Grimmjow get Orihime when he was a douchebag. Why did I get the one to be single? He should have been alone. You three have never understood what trauma I went through! I've done everything I can for you three and I still wasn't good enough. I just wanted an answer,” he stated.

 

“You've never talked about it. How were we supposed to know?” Nel asked, her face still harboring a hostile expression.

 

“I suppose you're firing me for what Bazz did too. I didn't tell him to do that Nel! I would have gladly accepted any punishment for what I did. I was waiting for the cops to come get me,” he said. Ulquiorra was shaking from the emotions bombarding his senses. This wasn't like that night, no this was just sadness washing over him. It was depression, desolation, and despair. "I want the death penalty for what I did Nelliel. I want to die."

 

“I'm firing you for killing Tsukishima and making Bazz decide that your life was better than his,” Nel replied in a quiet voice. She hadn't reacted to his heartfelt confession.

 

“I wasn't thinking that night.”

 

“Obviously.”

 

“Maybe, instead, of being pissed off at me, you should talk to him about this,” Ulquiorra said and quickly turned around, yanking the door open. He strode down to the tattooing room that was his and he grabbed his machines, his sketchbooks, power supply, a small tool kit and his foot pedal. He left all the supplies he purchased there and then stomped out of the building.

 

He threw his things in the trunk of the car and then got in. Ulquiorra drove away from the building and pushed the circle button on the bottom of his phone.

 

A mechanical voice came over the speakers, “How can I help you today?”

 

“Directions to Kurosaki Medical Clinic, Karakura.”

 

“Seventeen-minute drive. Nine kilometers.”

 

* * *

 

Orihime shyly smiled as Ichigo was above her. He was looking down at her in wonder and she felt like a princess the way he touched her naked body. Ichigo had been gentle so far. He wasn't rough and he kept asking if he was doing okay.

 

“You're doing fine,” she murmured.

 

“You're only like the second woman I've—”

 

“It's good, Ichigo. Really, it feels wonderful.”

 

“You sure? Rukia said I sucked.”

 

“Rukia?”

 

“Yeah, I might have called her up a couple of days after that party you guys had,” he said. His breath ghosted over her neck as he kissed her collarbone. “Things kind of got out of hand.”

 

She giggled then moaned as his hands lightly touched her nipples. “Do whatever you would like. Do what you think I would like.”

 

He gave a nervous chuckle. “I think you really like that,” he said. “What's it like getting your nipples pierced?”

 

Looking up at Ichigo with wide, dark eyes Orihime bit her lip. “I don't know. It's painful but it's a release. I do like it. Pinch them.”

 

“P-p-pinch them? Won't that hurt?”

 

She shook her head, “No it feels really good.” Orihime brought her small hand up to Ichigo's chest and lightly pinched one of his own nipples. She saw him close his eyes and swallow, so she did it again.

 

“Don't do that,” he said with a ragged breath.

 

“Why?”

 

“It feels good and I'm trying to make this about you,” he replied.

 

Orihime propped herself up on her elbows. She wanted to whisper in his ear. “Fuck me, Ichigo. Fuck me like you know you want to.”

 

He didn't disappoint. Soon he had a condom on and was sheathed inside of Orihime in no time flat. The redhead cried out and wrapped her legs around his hips.

 

No one noticed the door opening a smidge and then closing quickly. They didn't hear the voices in the hall. They didn't notice when the door opened a second time or see the dark-haired man standing there.

 

All Orihime knew was that she was forgetting the pain that Tsukishima's death had caused her. She was getting rid of the pain Ulquiorra caused her with his words. She was fucking away the pain.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Five Finger Death Punch - Tragic Truth  
> Blackbear - Anxiety (feat. FRND)  
> Dios Malos - You Got Me All Wrong  
> The Empires - Hayley  
> Gallant - Bourbon  
> guccihighwaters - i can never change  
> H.I.M. - Pretending  
> HKFiftyOne - you completely destroy me  
> HONNE - Church Rave In MiamiM  
> James Morrison - Broken Strings ft. Nelly Furtado  
> Kanye West - Heartless  
> KoRn - Shoots and Ladders  
> Tame Impala - The Less I Know The Better  
> Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne - Close Your Eyes Forever


	6. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orihime deals with painful stuff. Aizen has a meeting. Bazz is a smartass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Nokanshi is a Japanese mortician. The person prepares the body for burial and it's a ritualistic thing. Since the Yakuza is based on principals of the Samurai I figured that a modern day Yakuza funeral would mix elements of old funeral ways but with a modern funeral home twist.

When Orihime insisted on being released from the clinic, Ichigo drove her home. She invited him inside but he shook his head, stating another time. She understood. He was still dealing with the aftermath of his father catching them together. The man had scolded both of them like they were teenagers.

 

She opened the door and was surprised to find Ulquiorra standing right by the windows. Just out of sight from the driveway. His face was blank. What was he thinking? What was he feeling? She slipped out of her shoes and moved around him to put them in the closet but he grabbed her arm.

 

Ulquiorra's hand grabbed her shoes and threw them down the hall. Orihime swallowed and looked at him with wide eyes. “What is your problem?” She asked.

 

“How was he?” the dark-haired man said in a sultry voice. By now his face was contorted into anger. She knew he was using that tone in a mocking manner. “Did you have your curiosity satisfied?”

 

“What are you—”

 

“I see. You're going to play dumb. Fine. I saw you Orihime. I saw you and Kurosaki fucking inside the clinic,” Ulquiorra snapped.

 

“It is none of your business what I do Ulquiorra. You wished you never met me, remember? Nothing I do concerns you,” Orihime said. She felt a sense of calm overtake her. Several days ago, just looking at him made her an emotional mess. Maybe she had gotten over the incident.

 

The man scoffed and the redhead was getting tired of his jealous tantrums. “You are carrying my son inside you. That makes it my business.”

 

“Who cares,” she snapped. Her anger was rising right along with his. “Go knock up your ex-girlfriend or maybe Yachiru since you like younger women.”

 

That made him pull away from her. “You won't let it go will you?”

 

She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her gaze at him. “Why are you the only one that gets to be jealous? Why are you so mad when I want someone else? And no, I'm not going to let it go because that pink-haired bitch and you are the reason I left Candy Ink that night! _You_ are the reason I was taken by—”

 

The anger ran out and was replaced by that emptiness that hit her. Orihime couldn't even say his name without crying. Her arms wrapped tighter around her self. She wouldn't cry in front of this asshole.

 

The two said nothing else to each other and Orihime went to her room. She curled up on her futon and stared at the snowy landscape that her room faced. She felt as blank as the winter scene. Orihime closed her eyes.

 

What happened to her was now etched into eternity; it would always be with her. She just wanted to be alone and by herself. People couldn't hurt her if she stayed by herself; to herself. Ulquiorra had been right all those months ago. All humans did was hurt each other.

 

She started sobbing as she wrapped her arms around her knees, bringing them to her chest. They were long drawn out cries of anguish. She wondered if Nel was having this much trouble trying to cope with life after what had happened. She shuddered as she remembered his hands on her body. Every time she went to sleep she heard his chuckle. She heard Tsukishima's breathing. Her body shook and Orihime let out a primal scream. She missed him so much.

 

 * * *

 

Nel heard her. She sat in a lotus position in the middle of her room, trying to breathe in and out in a calm manner. She felt for Orihime. She had been kept there in that dark place longer than Nel. She had been trying to help Orihime. She knew what Tsukishima had told her, he had coerced the woman into having sex with him by blackmailing her. Nel knew that Orihime had been forced to do things that were unacceptable.

 

The tall man had said he did it because he wanted her. He wanted to break the redhead.

 

Why her and Orihime though?

 

The tall man never gave her answer.

 

 * * *

 

A week later, she was walking through the neighborhood and found herself on a familiar street. Her feet carried her until she saw the house sitting on the hill. There was a for sale sign in the yard. She studied the angles of the house, recalling the first time she saw the house and those circumstances.

 

“ _All it takes is a phone call._ ”

 

He had said those words so seductively. He was using words to caress her into giving Ulquiorra up. She was the lamb giving herself to the lion to protect the herd. Why had she done it when the herd didn't care about her?

 

She knew Grimmjow and Nel were back together. She could hear them laughing and talking. A bag of her things had been placed in her bedroom along with her pillow. Orihime didn't have to look in the bag. She knew it was the stuff Grimmjow had bought her. The blue-haired man didn't even look at her anymore except to give a brief nod or acknowledge something she said. Weeks ago, he couldn't keep his hands off her and now he avoided her touch.

 

Nel though was trying to reach out to her. The teal-haired woman understood. She must have understood what the redhead was going through.

 

Another memory flashed through her mind. They were naked. She shut her eyes trying to block it.

 

“ _Orihime, what did you think was going to happen when you got into my car_?”

 

She knew what she had thought but she had told the tall man that she didn't know. Orihime thought that maybe he would take her home. That he would be a gentleman. That he wasn't some crazy sadistic bastard hell bent on destroying people.

 

How could she think that he'd be a gentleman once they were inside the house?

 

Just because he had done things slowly and kissed her tenderly, did not make Tsukishima a gentleman. Just because he had given her mind-blowing orgasms and opened her eyes to an even broader sexual spectrum didn't mean she loved him. Just because he was broken didn't mean Orihime had to try and fix him.

 

But she had thought that. She did have feelings for Tsukishima but she wasn't sure of what they were. She felt like she should try to fix at least a piece of him.

 

Her mind went back to the beginning of her detainment. She and Tsukishima were in his office. Orihime was sitting in his lap, playing with the collar of his white dress shirt. He was reading a book. “Why?” she asked, in a quiet voice.

 

“Why what?” he replied, turning the page. He had an air of indifference around him that Orihime wanted to break through

 

“Me; why me?”

 

His slender fingers placed a bookmark between the pages and then the book shut. He placed it on the metal table in front of him. Those warm brown eyes stared at her and he cupped her cheek. “You looked so lost the day I saw you. You looked so unhappy and uncertain. I wondered what had happened to you to cause you to look like that. I wondered how I could break you further.”

 

“Your plan isn't working, you know,” she said, her hand traveling up his neck to comb through his dark brown hair.

 

“I see that.”

 

“You do?”

 

“Mmhmm. You don't fear me at all,” Tsukishima said, giving a contented sigh. He relaxed into the armchair.

 

“Do you want me to be scared of you? Oooh!” Orihime bounced excitedly which caused him to faintly smile. “Maybe you should get some of those vampire fangs and a cape and come into my room in the dead of night and take me.”

 

“That's a lot of ands, young woman.”

 

“You're not a monster.”

 

“You haven't seen what I can do yet.”

 

That last sentence had been a warning to her, Orihime knew that. She wasn't stupid. She wasn't dumb. She just was naive in some aspects of life.

 

Her dark eyes gazed up at the house again. She sighed heavily. No matter how much she wanted him to be inside that house, there was no way it would come true.

  

* * *

 

Aizen sat in an upscale business class restaurant, waiting. He sighed. The last two weeks of had been depressing and hard to deal with on a personal level. Once he arrived home from Utsunomiya, he saw Tier sitting on the couch in the living room of the penthouse. Aizen swallowed and he knew he had to tell her. So he walked into the room, poured himself a drink and then went over to one of the windows that looked out on the city. From where he stood, he could see Tokyo Tower. Bazz lived in a building that overlooked the tourist attraction.

 

“Tier, Tsukishima is dead.”

 

A sob left the woman, followed by another. Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of the blonde woman crying openly.

 

He knew that the woman wasn't grieving for the young man as a mother. They had been the same age. She was crying for him as a lover. Aizen had taken his son's woman away from him because he desired her. Almost four years later, they were almost strangers. He had almost no interest in the woman and every time she looked at him it was with contempt or resentment.

 

He sipped on the bourbon and stared at the city filled with life while he felt dead inside. A parent should never have to bury their child. His eyes burned. Aizen didn't have time to grieve.

 

“How?”

 

“Hmmm? How? Bazzard shot him.”

 

“Are you sure?” Tier asked, her voice shaking. Aizen glanced at her to see her makeup was ruined. “It was Bazz?”

 

Aizen sighed. “I saw his body Tier. One bullet to the head, execution style and then two bullets in the shoulder. I'm not sure it was Bazz because Kenpachi is involved. Kenpachi was there.”

 

“That makes no sense. Bazz would never betray you.”

 

The man nodded. He excused himself from his wife's presence and walked down to his office. He made some calls. He had to explain the situation. He ordered the house in Nikko to be cleaned out and then sold. He asked Tsukishima's and Bazz's accountants to bring him a report of both of his sons' assets.

 

Aizen made funeral arrangements, not sure of what he was supposed to do but the funeral home promised to give his son the proper send off. Tsukishima Shukuro would have a Yakuza funeral. The nokanshi even made the hole in his son's head disappear.

 

The brown-haired man bowed in gratitude to those who were helping with burying Tsukishima. The funeral had been an event where many Yakuza had show their faces to show respect to the man and his dead son.

 

He told Yhwach that they needed to meet and to bring Jugo. They needed to talk. That's where he was at now. He was waiting for the other Tokyo Prefecture warlord and his son to arrive.

 

Aizen just sipped on the alcohol he ordered with a blank stare until he caught sight of blonde hair and a man with very prominent cheekbones, long black hair, and a seemingly nasty expression on his face. This was going to be a joy. “Yhwach,” Aizen said, standing up. “Jugo.”

 

“Aizen,” both men murmured and nodded.

 

The brown-haired man gestured to the other chairs and invited them to sit down. The men ordered lunch and sat making small talk as they waited for their food to arrive. They didn't talk about Tsukishima or his funeral.

 

Once the waitress left with instructions not to bother them unless they asked for something, Aizen got down to business. “Gentlemen, I do not think Bazzard would deflect. I have this gut feeling that Bazz did not kill his brother. Bazz has only shot those pistols a handful of times and he always aims for non-lethal places.”

 

“What if he did?” Yhwach asked, slowly chewing a piece of steak.

 

Aizen studied the man for a moment then looked at the other man's son. “Jugo, do you believe Bazz would shoot his own brother?”

 

“I think it depends on the circumstances,” Jugo stated quietly. “I've only had contact with Bazz once in the last three months. He confided in me that he was seeing a woman. Or he had just started dating her. He told me that Tsukishima had a plan to torture this woman and another.

 

Bazz was very frank in saying that you agreed to Tsukishima's plan without knowing the details because you were placating a child that you had no desire to deal with,” Jugo finished as he took a sip of water. “Tsukishima wanted to expand operations into drugs and whores, trafficking them. You got annoyed so he talked you into a pet project of his. Bazz was on board with this plan until he became close to one of the women.”

 

Aizen brought a finger to his lips, trying to remember something. “That must be why they were bickering at the meeting.”

 

“If this project targeted a woman Bazz cared about then it could be possible that he  _could_ have pulled that trigger,” Jugo said.

 

The brown-haired man sighed and took off his glasses resting his forehead against his wrist. “Kenpachi was at the police station with his men. Tosen had received information from one of Tsukishima's men that they were ordered to leave the warehouse. Superintendent Platedo told me that Kenpachi was involved. Eight people from the Nikko organization were there. They all gave almost the exact same story.”

 

“Which was?”

 

“Bazz was defecting to the Nikko organization and he shot Tsukishima in self-defense,” Aizen stated. “Tsukishima had no weapons. They found a gun near his body but no fingerprints on it, not my son's at least.”

 

Yhwach was the one whose face drew into a dark scowl. “Are you proposing expanding our territory?”

 

Aizen gave a short nod. “Shunsui probably will be displeased but he should have known this was coming. It's been brewing for the past twenty years since Kenpachi took over for Unohana.”

 

* * *

 

If Bazz had been in the military he could almost imagine that being captured by the enemy was almost as awesome as getting arrested. He knew he was totally fucked when they threw him into the police car.

 

A three-inch thick mat was what Bazz laid on in the bunk. It was uncomfortable as hell and it made his backache. He was in a cell all by himself. The kind that they put those who did really bad shit within. His new home had four walls and a door that had a small square window... Not to mention the slot that the guards passed slop through.  
  
Bazz had complained loudly about the food. The people on the other side laughed at him.

 

Who knew being in jail was so boring. There was nothing to do but sit around waiting for something to happen. He knew that the prosecutor already obtained a detention order which is why he was still here. That dickhead had ten days to charge him with something or decide to prosecute him. It all was pending an investigation.  
  
Those days were gone and done. Bazz had been charged with murder, possession of an illegal firearm, possession of ammunition, and firing an illegal firearm. The red-haired man would automatically be guilty until proven innocent. He'd been aggressively interrogated for several days.

 

Bazz knew how the Japanese criminal justice system worked. Although he'd done poorly in school, he studied all that he could on this part of the law. He could recite things and pull obscure laws from his ass. He was frustrating the cops because he acted like he didn't know Japanese by speaking English and acting disoriented.

 

He hadn't signed shit. He pretended that he couldn't read the papers that they shoved in front of him. He had asked for an interpreter. That one Inspector squinted at him and shook his head.

 

Jushiro had visited him again. They talked. He asked the white-haired man to call Jugo. Bazz trusted Jugo more than Jushiro. Both were Criminal Attorneys. The man hesitated to say anything.

 

“What's your price?”

 

“I've contacted him. Your father will be visiting soon.”

 

Dammit. He didn't want a visit from his father! He needed to see Jugo! Almost a month in this place, and he hadn't seen or heard from Nel, Grimmjow, or Kenpachi. He hadn't even received a god damn thank you from that emo-looking brat.

 

It was only days later that Aizen arrived. The man looked uncomfortable sitting in that windowless room.

 

“Bazzard, Inspector Amagi tells me you've been difficult.”

 

The red-haired man nodded. “Did you expect anything else? I mean did you expect me to comply?”

 

“Tell me what happened and I can make this all go away,” the brown-haired man stated. “Tell me how your brother died.”

 

It was tempting. “Why haven't I been moved to a real detention facility?” Bazz asked. "I've already written down that I killed Tsu and that it was in self-defense. I should be going up shit creek without a paddle."

 

“Because I've asked them to keep you here for now. That all depends on you today. There won't be any special treatment once you go to one of those places. You'll be put in a cell with five other men. The food you'll eat will be subpar. You'll bath every five days. You'll be on your feet from dawn until dusk,” Aizen said in a cool tone.

 

Bazz knew what the old man was trying to do. He was trying to intimidate him.

 

“Let me tell you what I know, Dad. I've got seven years for the guns. Three years for firing it. Who knows how many years for the bullets. Let's not forget that murder charge which carries the death penalty, which is only there because he's dead. I killed him in self-defense.”

 

Aizen's mouth formed a thin line. “No. I don't believe that. I won't. I don't believe that you would turn a gun on your brother. I don't believe you would throw in with Zaraki and his men. Why would you betray me, Bazz?”

 

Bazz smirked. “Because, I'm the bastard everyone expects me to be, Dad.”

 

His father left shortly after that and Bazz was taken back to his holding cell. He had his back to the window but his shoulders were shaking. He had his face pointed to the ceiling. Bazz's throat was working as he tried to hold it together and remain strong. There was no fucking way he was going to fucking cry. He wasn't weak.

 

“Don't let this fucking world tear you apart, Bazz,” he said to himself. "You can't let this world tear you apart."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slipknot - XIX  
> NF - Let You Down  
> Demxntia - With Thoughts of You and I  
> The Eels - It's a Motherfucker  
> Matthew Good Band - Weapon  
> Savage Garden - Universe  
> My Darkest Days - Come Undone  
> Ryder - Pretty Little Gangster  
> Salvia - Ladies and Gentleman  
> I Don't Know How But They Found Me - Choke  
> Martin Garrix - Scared to be Lonely ft. Dia Lupa (Acoustic)


	7. This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby conversations! Ulquiorra visits his mother who surprises him. Orihime remembers more. Nel visits Bazz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Bang, Pop, Meow and Unicorns Burp Glitter are my Rockband 1/2 band names. LOL. Title comes from Fall Out Boy! I like the name Hotaru so I slapped it on Ulquiorra's mom. I don't think I've named her yet. CHAPTER CONTAINS ART Drawn by me!

Grimmjow had spent most of his days at his workshop writing instead of working. He had turned the place into an impromptu studio. He had his drumset brought over. He was writing songs and drumbeats to them, figuring Zommari could set down chords, riffs and whatever to them when he got the chance.

 

Currently, there were nineteen songs that he thought were good enough. He wouldn't know until he talked with Parker later today. She was supposed to come by and have a chat about the contracts.

 

Things had been pretty good. Nel was getting better. Her doctor had done the necessary test and she didn't have any diseases and she had no internal trauma from her run-in with that bastard. The only thing that seemed wrong with Nel was her animosity towards Ulquiorra.

 

The tension on the other side of the house, on the other hand, was not so good. Orihime was snipping at everyone. Ulquiorra was still being bitchy. He lashed out every time Grimmjow tried to help. The blue-haired man knew that Nel fired the dark-haired man. He kind of knew why but he hadn't pried into Nel's business with the other man.

 

After his meeting with Parker, he and Nel were going baby shopping again. They only had a couple of months to get ready for their little bundle of pink. Telling Nel this had caused a fight the first time they went out shopping.

 

“Why does she have to be in pink?”

 

“Because little girls look cute in pink and all that stuff. Look, I don't know. When I think of female infants I think of an explosion of pink. If you want to put her in pea green stuff or neon blue, go right ahead. Maybe we should give her a boy's name. No one boy would date a girl name Jules or Paul.”

 

“Who says we're naming her anything French?”

 

“ _Oh_ _hell no_ , woman. We have to represent the Jaegerjaquez lineage.”

 

“No one said I had to represent anything. I haven't even thought of a name! She's getting your last name! I figured if I did that you'd let me name her,” Nel said.

 

“Why do you get to pick out two names?” Grimmjow asked.

 

“Because your last name is longer than your dick,” she countered.

 

He opened his mouth to say something but immediately closed it and started laughing. “That was a pretty awesome comeback, Nel. You know...”

 

“What?”

 

Grimmjow looked at Nel. This yearning that she should be his wife came over him. “I'd like it to be your last name too.”

 

Nel laughed and rolled her eyes. “Right. You're hilarious, Grimmjow.”

 

“I'm serious, Nelliel.” That was the first time he'd ever brought up the subject of marriage to Nel but Grimmjow knew it wouldn't be the last.

 

He sighed as his thoughts were pulled to the present. He had to work on orders. He put aside his notebook on the drumset and started doing stuff that would actually earn him money.

 

Grimmjow had just finished cutting through some two by fours when he turned around to see Sloane Parker standing in his workshop. He turned the saw off and took off his protective eyewear and the noise canceling headphones.

 

“You know how to scare a man,” he said throwing the boards on the table. Grimmjow shook his head and glared at the woman.

 

“Well, it's close to the time we're supposed to meet,” Sloane said and then shrugged. “You said you had something to show me.”

 

“You're going to think it's utter shit though so if you do think that then keep your fucking comments to yourself,” Grimmjow said and walked over to grab the notebook. He threw it at Sloane who caught it between both hands.

 

She raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the notebook. “Don't tell me this is all your inane schoolboy scribblings.”

 

“Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut? You haven't even read them!” Grimmjow said as he turned back to his table saw. He laid his tape measure down and drew a pencil down across the wood. He could hear the brunette woman muttering to herself. Then he heard paper tearing.

 

“Hey! No one said you could do that!”

 

“Grimm, shut up. I'm tearing out the good ones.”

 

“What are you going to do with them?”

 

“Take them back to my office and give a call to my boss.”

 

Grimmjow huffed and walked over to where the woman was standing. He took the notebook and the pages from her. “You're not taking my songs anywhere.”

 

“Fine, I like all the pages I tore out. I feel like we could go somewhere with those.”

 

“You only tore out six pages,” Grimmjow said stuffing the pages back into the notebook and throwing it on the snare drum.

 

“Did you think you would record an album out of the box? Get some studio time and record demos first. Give me that heartbroken boy image you had in that video I watched and Zip the Bag Records will give you the world. By the way, we're thinking of having you guys tour with Bang Pop Meow and Unicorns Burp Glitter,” Sloane said in a casual tone.

 

“When?”

 

She shrugged. “I think around this summer, maybe the fall. I'm giving you enough time to get demos done. I can pair you up with a producer and find you guys whatever instrument you're needing.”

 

“It'll get done, Sloane.”

 

Grimmjow stiffened when the woman walked closer to him. He didn't trust her because of her unprofessional manner and somewhat sketchiness. He was quite surprised by her next words. “You could show me that heartbroken boy right now, Grimm. I don't think I'd mind.”

 

He looked down at the tiny woman and raised an eyebrow. Did she just—Was Sloane Parker hitting on him? Grimmjow's face became annoyed. It figured this woman wanted something from him. “Sloane, I'm gonna be a dad soon and I've got a fiancee. I don't fuck around on her.”

 

“Thought I'd ask,” she said sheepishly. Sloane turned around and waved a hand. “I'll be in touch, Grimmjow. Let me know what you guys are going to do.”

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra just walked out of Utsunoymiya's biggest university after taking the exam. He felt nervous but he knew that he probably breezed it. He had thought the same thing when he took that art college's exam.

 

At the beginning of the February, he visited his mother who took one look at him and started wailing. He was waiting for his aunt to appear to scold him like a child. Once his mother composed herself she offered the man a cup of tea and a seat under that low heated table.

 

She was sitting there watching her usual shows but she turned them off and faced her son. Ulquiorra sipped from the steaming cup.

 

“You decided to show your face here after all this time,” the elderly woman said. “Don't worry about your aunt. She's at her own house for once. Always over here, mooching. Her son! He's a snake.”

 

“I apologize, Mother.”

 

The woman snorted. Hotaru Cifer was a tough old lady. “Don't patronize me. You were a naughty boy taking off like that. No note, no word. I get a phone call telling me I'm gonna be a grandma. Where's this baby?”

 

“He's still inside his mother. He should be born in March or April,” Ulquiorra answered his mother.

 

“A sakura baby! You say he, you know it's a boy?” Hotaru asked. “Who is the mother? Did you find some upstanding Japanese woman?”

 

The dark-haired man shook his head. “Her name is Orihime Inoue. She's the woman you met when I was in the hospital.”

 

His mother's brow furrowed. “Wait, the redhead? She was pregnant then! You have two kids? Why have I not met my first grandchild?”

 

“Mother!”

 

The woman pursed her lips. “I know I lied to you. I was trying to protect you. It killed me to see you in that hospital bed; having to breathe with a tube going down your throat. You know I've never liked Grimmjow. That boy's a bad—”

 

Ulquiorra sighed. “Orihime lost the baby after you told them I _died_. Remember when you told them that?”

 

The woman gave a curt nod.

 

“She became pregnant a second time. I'm sure the baby and I will visit once things have settled down,” he said, before taking a sip of tea. “I've decided to change my course in life.”

 

“Oh? What? Are you going to become a criminal? Tattoos on your face! What would your father say about this? Hmmm?”

 

Ulquiorra tried to not flinch at his mother's words but it was hard. He felt like that jab was a personal stab at him and what he did. He shook his dark-haired head. “No, I've decided to enter university and get a degree in engineering. It will probably be civil engineering. Maybe chemical. I'll know more once I have the basic degree.”

 

“Good. It's nice you finally pulled your head out of your ass and realized you were meant to carry on your father's business. You can run that cousin of yours out of the chairperson's seat!” Hotaru crowed.

 

He scowled. “You've never been this animated. What's gotten into you?”

 

“Me? I've always been this way. I held back because your father wanted a perfect family. A picture. He was handsome.” His mother paused for a moment and place a hand over her heart. “Oh, Matteo. Let me tell you something Ulquiorra. Life is too short to live with regret.”

 

That made his decision to enter a school of higher learning even more concrete. He was walking to his car that was in the tall parking structure when he saw a flash of orange-red hair. Was it Orihime? No, she was at home. She had no business in Utsunomiya being as pregnant as she was.

 

As he moved towards the structure, he saw advertisements plaster to various stores, cafes and businesses screaming about Valentine's day. It made his heart twist. He wanted to be with Orihime but she had plans for Valentine's day.

  
Kurosaki was taking her out to dinner then they were going to a love hotel. He was a bastard for eavesdropping as she was talking on the phone to him. He'd been extra surly towards the redhead that week. The words she had said to him... He felt they were the truth.

 

His actions and words had spurred her to leave. Maybe if he actually thought about things, he wouldn't have just followed the ideas his penis seemed to have. He didn't know how to fix this though. Ulquiorra couldn't find a solution to this problem.

 

There wasn't a logical answer to him killing Tsukishima or destroying Orihime's world.

 

* * *

 

Orihime had seen him and quickly ducked out of the way around a building. The wind whipped at her hair and body. She had called the university just a week ago and told them she was retracting her enrollment.

 

The redhead couldn't handle the sight of the school but she had come today because she was curious. As she roamed over campus, Orihime found herself in that stairwell that no one used.

  
They had used it. She could even remember his words. Orihime sat under the stairs and remembered everything from that day and every day she had spent with Tsukishima.

 

“ _Does the number four mean anything to you?”_

 

It had meant something to her a long time ago before he came along. That number four with the black circle was her world. Then his father took it all away.

 

His father.

 

Aizen.

 

The asshole who had Ulquiorra shot because he got in a tizzy about the possibility of Ulquiorra touching his wife. From what Tsukishima said, Aizen's wife was a whore; a sugar baby; a gold digger.

 

“ _Are you begging me?”_

 

She hadn't been begging him then but the next week she would be on her back with him between her legs and she would beg. Now almost six weeks after his death, she was begging for him to come back to life.

 

Orihime was begging for him to hold her again and tell her things. She closed her eyes and remembered. He was sitting in the armchair in her cell, reading that damn book. She was sitting on the bed with clothes on.

 

“What is that book?”

 

The brown-haired man raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He tapped the spine of the book. Orihime had to tilt her head to read it. “ _The Art of War_ , Sun Tzu.”

 

She glanced at his face only to find him staring at her. It really felt like those brown eyes were always looking into her soul. Orihime blushed. “What?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“ _You have a week to decide.”_

 

She didn't understand those words at all but Orihime knew that if she could rewind time, she would have made the same decision again. She would have gone with him again and again. Tsukishima needed help.

 

With a heavy sigh, she let her head drop against the wall behind her. She had to push down the sob that threatened to come out. More memories were assaulting her. Tears slipped down her face.

 

They were laying together on the bed in the cell after having sex. She was cuddled close to him, her head on his chest. His long fingers were stroking her back. “Can I call you Tsuki?”

 

“Absolutely not.”

 

She smiled sheepishly and looked up at him. “Shima?”

 

“Orihime.” His lips formed a very thin line.

 

“Tsu?”

 

The slap against her bottom was hard and made her cry out. She clutched him as several more smacks were delivered. She didn't dare move away.

 

“What is my name?” he asked calmly.

 

“Tsukishima,” she said tearfully then sighed. “What is your full name?”

 

“Did you want to get spanked again?”

 

She shook her head. “I'm curious.”

 

“Tsukishima Shukuro.”

 

* * *

 

She was trying to keep herself together. It was hard. Everything that had happened over the past three months had taken their toll on everyone.

 

Nel looked at Bazz through the glass and swallowed. A tear streaked down her cheek. He sat on the stool on the other side of the partition. He still had handcuffs on. Her hazel eyes followed his movements as he picked up the phone receiver. Nel studied him before she copied his actions.

 

His trademark mohawk was gone, the hair now flopped over to one side. She could see the beginning of light brown roots peeking through. He had dark circles under his eyes. Those bright, spring green orbs were now dull and clouded. This was not her Bazzard Black.

 

Her throat was dry and tongue thick as she licked her lips. “Hey.”

 

“Hey yourself.”

 

“Bazz, please,” Nel pleaded. She sounded whiny and desperate to her own ears. “Don't do this.”

 

“You done?”

 

“You don't—”

 

“Are you done?”

 

Nel gave a sigh. Why was Bazz taking the fall for Ulquiorra? It was the dark-haired man's finger that pulled the trigger.

 

She didn't know how to take the whole visiting situation. She saw criminals visiting others in a room. They were hugging and laughing. There were those that were sitting and talking. Nel had been escorted to a special room. Bazz was in solitary confinement. His circumstances were delicate so he didn't get normal visitation privileges.

 

“How's the baby?”

 

“She's fine, still growing. I've got a couple more weeks then she'll be here.”

 

“Yeah?” he said questioningly. Nel watched as his face was pulled into a frown. “You pick out a name?”

 

“Kind of,” she said as she gave him a slight nod. She wasn't even thinking of baby things at the moment. How could she think about it at a time like this? “You're not going to be there,” she murmured, her eyes staring at her rounded abdomen.

 

She heard him sigh which did nothing to dispel the ache in her heart. “You didn't want me there anyways Nel. Remember? I don't fit into your life. You need to forget about me. Okay? I did bad things to you. I did horrible things to your roommate.”

 

Her eyes flicked up to his face before falling down to the mental counter in front of her. "You didn't do anything."

 

They were filling with tears, burning. Nel couldn't help but feel like Bazz was doing the same thing to her at the moment. He was trying to burn the bridge between them. She could only watch as it turned to ash. The phone receiver she held clattered to the counter. A sob wracked her body.

 

 _CRACK_.

 

Nel jumped when she heard the sharp thump on the glass. The partition of glass was cracked, Bazz was on his feet on the other side yelling and shouting. The sound was muffled. He was being restrained by three guards. He looked like a madman as he threw them off of him.

 

At least he did until they locked eyes. His green eyes burned with a purpose and a calm seemed to go over him. Nel couldn't say anything as he was dragged out of the room. She sat there, staring at the space in front of her, where Bazz had been sitting until another guard told her it was time to leave. What the hell had that been about?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can hear is my cat licking her ass because she's fat and snuffles when she does it. She's also sitting right next to me so...


	8. Faking It Until We're Making It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Valentine's Day and... well, things don't go as planned... for anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> I'm sorry if the story seems like a pile of crap. I've been in a bad mood for the past couple of days. Actually, bad mood doesn't even describe it. I've transcended bitchiness into a level of hell where demons are born. I'm refraining from replying to comments because I can be very brutal and unkind during this time.

The morning of Valentine's day dawned and it was fucking cold outside. Grimmjow stood shivering in the bathroom. Normally the house wasn't this cold but someone forgot to turn the heat up last night. He finished pissing and washed his hands then hurried back to his warm bed after turning the thermostat up all the way.

 

He'd make it warm inside the house.

 

Before they moved into the home, Ulquiorra had something called geothermal heating system installed. Grimmjow didn't know what it was but if it got above a certain temperature, it'd make the house a sauna. This past summer showed them the thing could turn the house into an icebox. It was nice rather than having to deal with heating tables, radiators, and other nonsense that was inconvenient.

 

Once he was snuggled back in beside Nel, Grimmjow thought about what he had planned for her today. They both had to work. He was taking her to out to a cafe she had mentioned months ago. Before that, he had a surprise for her.

 

He had talked it over with Ulquiorra and they decided to move the entertainment room to the empty tatami room. The empty room would become the nursery. The dark-haired man had shown Grimmjow the baby monitor he had bought for him and Orihime.

 

It had cameras.

 

“No chance of you two reconciling things?” Grimmjow asked that afternoon as they were moving things from one room to another. Ulquiorra somberly shook his head.

 

“Why would she want to be with me? I'm bad choices and memories,” he said in a bitter tone before picking up another stack of DVDs.

 

Grimmjow did the same. The blue-haired man frowned. “Have you guys even talked about things?”

 

Once again his friend shook his head as they entered the tatami room. “I've not said a word to her since the day I confronted her about being with Kurosaki.”

 

“Shouldn't you talk to her?”

 

“Can we just fucking get this done so I can go mope in my room alone?” Ulquiorra snapped angrily.

 

The tall man sighed. “You've been—standoffish with me since we had sex. Why?”

 

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and huffed out of the tatami room. He was back in mere seconds with another load of movies. “I have not,” he said.

 

“Okay, let me rephrase that. You've been bitchy with me since we had sex the night after—”

 

“ _I had other things to think about_! Excuse me if I'm not thinking of you fucking me all the time!” the green-eyed man shouted. “Enough talk or else, you're going to end up doing this alone.”

 

Grimmjow wasn't satisfied with that answer. There had to be more to it but he left Ulquiorra alone after that. Once they had the new “living” area situated, he thanked Ulquiorra. The dark-haired man nodded and Grimmjow could hear the man's bedroom door open and close.

 

There was enough space in the room for the two cribs, changing tables and dressers. Grimmjow was building a rocking chair to put in the room for Nel. Ulquiorra had already ordered something for Orihime.

 

The blue-haired man wasn't sure if he would be willing to do everything Ulquiorra did for Orihime. If it'd been Nel he wouldn't be doing stuff like this for her. He probably would give her money and then tell her to figure it out for herself.

 

He and Nel were together so he was doing everything he could for her now. He looked at his phone and sighed. He had enough time to get a shower and get ready for his date before he had to pick up Nel from work.

 

When he stepped out of the house with Ulquiorra's car keys, Grimmjow looked nice for once. He was dressed in a pair of black dress pants, a button-down shirt and he actually had on a nice wool peacoat that he bought years ago because he liked it. He even styled his hair.

 

He pulled up to Candy Ink and watched as Nel walked out of the building in a form-fitting plum colored dress and nude colored high heels. She also had on that cream colored wool coat Bazz had bought her.

 

Shit, he thought with a frown on his face. How much stuff was she wearing that that dickhead had bought? If Bazz ever got out of this entire thing, Grimmjow would enlist the man's help in making money through whatever he did.

 

He wouldn't stoop to being a criminal though.

 

They took off after Nel got into the car and Grimmjow kept glancing over at the woman. “That's a nice necklace,” he commented. He was stirring the shit pot and he knew it. He started driving. The place wasn't that far away.

 

“Thanks. Bazz—” Nel stopped. Grimmjow saw her blush out of the corner of his eye as he drove. “It was a Christmas gift from him.”

 

“The earrings must be too. It must have been nice for a couple months to have everything you wanted,” he murmured, turning the corner. He pulled into a parking lot and let the engine idle.

 

“You think he bought me everything I wanted?”

 

“Nel, look, that's not what—”

 

“What did you mean? You're trying to insinuate something,” she accused him.

 

Grimmjow sighed. He knew that he should just talk to her but he didn't want to seem like a big baby about things. “I'm just pissed off because everything you're wearing he bought.”

 

Nel snorted, “You bought my underwear and bra. I wanted to look amazing for you tonight, that's why I'm wearing this stuff. Bazz has good taste and style. Who cares if he bought it for me. You get to see me in it. He doesn't. I told him not to buy me anything, Grimmjow.”

 

“He doesn't fucking listen, does he?” the blue-haired man asked as he turned off the car. “Can I ask you a question, Nel?”

 

Her head nodded and the carefully pinned bun on the top of her head bobbed along with the movement. The gemstones in her ears sparkled. She was right though; Nel looked fucking amazing. Bazz was stupid to throw shit away to take the fall for his brother's death. They could be sharing this woman right now. They all; the three of them could have been lovers.

 

* * *

 

Nel cursed when her phone went off. She looked at the display and then accepted the call. She sighed as she heard the recording. The blue-haired man sitting in the driver seat did not look happy.

 

“This is a call from the Utsunomiya Police Detention Center. Will you accept?”

 

She brought the phone away from her face and pressed a number. Grimmjow was scowling at her. “Hey, Bazz. Happy Valentine's Day.”

 

“Hey, _my_ baby. Happy fucking and chocolate day to you too. Grimm doing anything for you?”

 

The way that he called her, _his_ baby was such a turn on and she felt warmth pool in between her legs. “Yeah, he's taking me somewhere for dinner.”

 

“Good boy,” Bazz said. The man sounded distracted. “I wanted to let you know I'm being moved to a detention center tomorrow.”

 

“What? Where?”

 

“I'm either going to Kurobane or Fuchu,” the man on the phone sighed. “I could even go to Kitsuregawa. It's privately funded. It's just until my trial. You should be hearing from Jushiro soon.”

 

“Aren't those prisons?” Nel asked. “Why are they moving you?”

 

“They have detention facilities. Can you give the phone to Grimmjow, Nel?”

 

“Tell me why they're moving you,” she said in a serious voice.

 

Another sigh. “I refused to cooperate with Aizen and his demands. I'll tell you what that means another day. We'll discuss it when you visit me. Okay? Give the phone to Grimm, Baby.”

 

Without a word, Nel handed the phone over to the blue-haired man and he raised an eyebrow and gave her an unimpressed look before he took the device.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow sighed. “What?”

 

“Happy Valentine's Day to you too, _Sweetie_.”

 

“Lick my balls, Elmo.”

 

“I should have when I had the chance, huh,” came the reply, low and sultry.

 

He groaned because Bazz was frustrating as ever. He wasn't groaning because the mental image of the man between his legs wasn't playing like a porn in his head. He wasn't getting hard.

 

“You're thinking about it. Heh,” Bazz chuckled.

 

“I am not but Happy V-day to you too, _Asshole_.”

 

“Thanks, liar.” There was silence between them for a few seconds. Grimmjow was listening to Bazz breath and the background noises. “Hey, make sure you—”

 

“Don't tell me how to fucking treat—”

 

“Look, you piece of shit. I don't have long,” Bazz sounded a touch distraught which threw Grimmjow off. In all the phone conversations they'd had since Bazz had been locked up, the man sounded really cocky. “I'm going to prison. I wouldn't bow down to my father. He told them to throw the damn book at me. He told the prosecutor to push for the death penalty.”

 

“What the fuck? What do you mean—”

 

“ _Do not_ mention this to Nel. I wouldn't have called tonight but it was important. Where are you taking her? C'mon Grimmjow. I need details because—Shit. C'mon Bazz, gotta keep it together.—because I'm not there.”

 

“A cafe called Chocolat,” Grimmjow answered. “She mentioned it a couple months back. She's—she's wearing the outfit you bought her. She has on the necklace and earrings.”

 

“I took her there for a first date. That's where we went,” Bazz replied. “Get her the hot chocolate. Watch her lick the whipped cream off the lid. Totally jerk off candy there.”

 

“ _T-m-i_ Bazz. Fuck, I should have known you had something do to with it though.”

 

There was a laugh then the other man was breathing again. “I love you,” he said quietly.

 

Grimmjow was thrown further off. What the hell was Bazz trying to do? “You love her. You dislike me,” he stated.

 

“No, I love you both. Give the phone back to Nel.”

 

Grimmjow gave the phone back to his girlfriend and scowled. He never had a fucking guy tell him something like that. It made him uncomfortable. Bazz didn't mean it. He was just being a jerk. He shook his head and paid attention to what Nel was saying.

 

“Yeah. I know Bazz. Okay, if you can call or write to me. Yeah, I miss you,” she blushed. Grimmjow pursed his lips. He must have been saying lewd things to her. “We will when you _get out_. Love you too.”

 

She dropped the phone and ended the call. Nel took a shaky breath then sighed. Grimmjow reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

Nel shook her head. “Bazz was being Bazz.”

 

“Tell me, Nel.”

 

“He told me to let you fuck me tonight with the high heels and the jewelry on just to spite him,” she said quietly.

 

Grimmjow's brain immediately went swimming in the gutter. It'd be hot. Fuck hot. It would downright _erotic_. He could imagine her bent over with those heels on and that necklace swinging as he fucked her from behind.

 

“Queen, you will get your wish. I'm totally game for it. Hell, I'm half-tempted to throw you in the backseat and fuck you here,” Grimmjow said in a low voice.

 

She grinned. “I don't think Cifer would appreciate that. Besides, I'm hungry.”

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra looked up as a shadow fell over the papers he was looking over. He saw a bitchy looking Orihime, glaring at him. She had a hand on her hip.

 

“What is this?” she asked setting one of the video monitors on the dining table.

 

“It's a baby monitor, Orihime.”

 

She actually scoffed at him. “You think buying me presents is going to fix things?”

 

“It's not a present. It's to help raise our son,” he said through clenched teeth.

 

“I don't need you around after he's born. Ichigo will be a perfect father to him,” Orihime bitched.

  
The dark-haired man didn't know what crawled up this bitch's ass but he was becoming tired of it in a rapid fashion. He had to bite his tongue. A lot of horrible things came to his mind to say to her, including the fact that Orihime was basically penniless and he could basically kick her out. He'd take her to court for custody of the baby. He knew once those words were out of his mouth, there'd be no going back. There'd be no way he could repair their relationship.

 

He said nothing. She continued to glare at him. Ulquiorra had to swallow several times before he was calm enough to speak. “I'm sure he will be,” he stated mechanically. He stood up and gathered his papers. He turned to go, unable to be around Orihime any longer.

 

“Where'd the entertainment room go?”

 

Ulquiorra sighed and walked over to one of the rice paper screens in the room and pulled it open. “Any other questions or comments, Orihime?”

 

“Ichigo's coming over to watch a movie,” she said in a snide tone. The comment that went unspoken was louder than anything she could have screamed at him. She was telling him to stay in his room or go the fuck away.

 

“I thought you were going out tonight, it is Valentine's day after all.” Ulquiorra could barely contain his words. They were automatic and he realized his mistake. He just outed himself to her.

 

Her eyes went wide and then narrowed. “You've been listening to my conversations!”

 

“I—I—I overheard when I was walking past—I didn't hear anything. Just you were going out,” he said defending himself. Where had his confidence gone? Was it because she was looking mad enough to kill him? “Orihime...”

 

The last word he said almost made it sound like he was desperate.

 

She still eyed him angrily. “What?”

 

“Woman, I—”

 

“I am _not._ _Your. Woman_.”

 

Ulquiorra nodded and left the dining room.

 

About two hours later, his stomach rumbled and he glanced up at his alarm clock. He should have eaten a while ago. With a sigh, he pushed away from his drawing desk and opened his bedroom door. As soon as he was close to the dining room, he heard it.

 

Ulquiorra was tempted to just go back to his room and ignore the need for food but he was curious. What he had briefly seen at the clinic was nothing compared to what he saw now as he slipped into the dining room. The lights had been turned off but they were still on inside the tatami room. He could see through the rice paper.

 

Kurosaki's ass was moving and Orihime had her legs wrapped around him. He felt like his heart was breaking, watching them move together. He heard her cries but they sounded empty, almost-hollow like. That wasn't how Orihime sounded when she had sex. The realization of what she was doing hit Ulquiorra like a bomb going off. His green eyes went wide and he almost laughed.

 

She was _faking_ it. Orihime was faking it. She was faking her orgasms with Kurosaki.

 

He had to get out of there. He had to leave. This was ridiculous. If he didn't leave the room or the house now he was going to get caught again. Without another thought, Ulquiorra turned and headed back to his room. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slipknot - Vermilion  
> Snow Patrol - New York  
> Taps Mugadza - Waiting For You  
> Tim McGraw - Kill Myself


	9. In Your Hour of Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We wrap up Valentine's Day. Nel and Grimmjow find two gingers on the couch. The teal-haired woman goes to check on Ulquiorra. Orihime has an appointment with Unohana which makes her run into someone's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> *pours on the emo*

Nel and Grimmjow had just gotten done with their dinner at the cafe. It hadn't been an extravagant affair but she had enjoyed herself. The blue-haired man looked very handsome and they did what they had done in the beginning of their relationship. They talked about absolutely nothing.

 

It was nice just to go out and say everything and nothing to the person you loved. Nel was having a good time as they walked back to the car. Until Grimmjow mentioned Bazz in a passing joke. Her breathing hitched for a moment.

  
So much was going on in her head. She couldn't deal with it. She didn't want to deal with it. Hearing the incarcerated man's voice had been a shock to her system. The fact that he was going to an actual detention center scared her.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“I miss him. I know I just talked to him but I miss him. I went to see him last week and—” Nel could feel the tears choking her. Her fingers were pressed against her lips. She didn't want to break down in public but it was going to happen here and now.

 

“Queen, I know you miss him. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do to help him,” Grimmjow said, pulling her close.

 

These arms she was safe in. These arms made her warm. These arms were Grimmjow though. “You can't touch him. There was a glass and metal divider between us. I had like a maybe eighteen inches of a window to look at him. I started crying and he went nuts. He flipped out, Grimmjow. He had to have guards restrain him.”

 

“Nel, this might be an asshole thing for me to say but don't you think it might be easier to let him go?” Grimmjow asked. “This isn't a piece of cake for me. I hate sharing you with him.”

 

“If this shit was easy, Grimm, it wouldn't have lasted. If you have something that lasts, it doesn't come easy. I want us to last. I want all of us to last. I don't want to have an amazing couple of years and then it all be over in a flash,” she stated. Nel pushed him back. “I don't want to experience the feelings of hurt, confusion, and disappointment again. I don't want to lose you. No matter what we go through, I want us to be together.”

 

Grimmjow pulled her body to him. “I love you. We've lasted for how long? Since you were eight?”

 

“We weren't together and then Nnoitra came before you,” Nel said quietly. She wasn't sure when the conversation took a turn to their past.

 

“The point is I've stuck beside you since then and I would be there for another fifty years.”

 

“Right,” she said flatly. 

 

“I've always wanted you Nel. _Always_. If I have to hike through a mile of shit to get you to be my wife, I will. If I have to fight Bazz to win you back, I would. I'm accepting him into our life because I love you and if being with both of us makes you happy, I'll do it,” Grimmjow told her, tilting her face up.

 

She could only stare at his light blue eyes. This man... He was right. He'd stuck by her for the past twelve years as a friend and four as a lover. He had seen her at her worst. He had seen her at her best. When had he become so selfless?

 

“I know it's been years since I asked you this...” Grimmjow licked his lips before saying anything else. “Can I make love to you tonight? I mean, I want to take my time with you. I want to savor your body. I want to—”

 

Nel wrapped her arms around the man and kissed him, her tongue pushing into his mouth. The dumbass didn't need to ask.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow woke up to a woman screaming.

 

“ _Where the fuck is my shit_?”

 

Nel. Screeching. _Dammit_. Grimmjow stumbled from their bed, pulling on boxers to see her standing in the doorway of the former entertainment room. Once they made it home last night, they'd gone straight for the bedroom. He hadn't been able to show her the surprise.

 

They took their time and Grimmjow made love to his woman; his Queen, with those earrings on. She wore that necklace. She wore those high heels as he rested her feet on his shoulders. He had to admit they were hot. Nel had a hickey on her ankle where he licked and sucked the skin above the expensive shoe she wore.

 

They just didn't have sex once that night but four different times. It had been late once they had fallen asleep so, Grimmjow was surprised to see her up this early.

 

“That's the nursery,” he said in a gruff voice. “The cribs, changing tables, and dressers will be here by the end of this month.”

 

Nel whirled around and looked at him. “Okay, but where is my television? Where are my movies?”

 

Grimmjow motioned for her to follow him. They walked into the kitchen and then around the corner to where a rice paper screen was closed. Grimmjow pulled it to the side. He wasn't really awake but his eyes went wide when he saw a naked Orihime and a guy with orange hair laying on the black leather couch. Both were asleep.

 

“Oh, shit,” Nel breathed.

 

“At least, Kurosaki has boxers on,” Grimmjow said quietly. “Shit, Ulq. Will you go down and check his room? I'll get these two up and out of here.”

 

Grimmjow saw her face as it morphed into distaste. “Why me? Why can't you go check on _your_ friend?”

 

“Nel,” he said.

 

The woman huffed and walked out of the room.

 

* * *

 

Nel was surprised to see Ulquiorra sitting at his drawing desk. He was awake. He had a bottle of vodka and a shot glass in front of him. His head swung towards Nel as she opened the door.

 

“Oh my god,” she said looking at the state of him.

 

The man said nothing. He just poured another shot of alcohol and pounded it back. Ulquiorra looked disheveled. His hair was messy. It seemed like he had been up all night. There were two new additions to his face. His upper lip was now solid black and above his mouth hung a small gauge septum ring.

 

“I'm fine. I know he's here. I know she's with him. I'm fine with it,” he mumbled and gave a small smile. “I'm just fine.”

 

“You're drunk,” the teal-haired woman said stepping into the room. “Are you trying to get an award for the most unattractive man ever? I think the next thing you should do is tattoo the word stupid on your forehead. Right fucking across it.”

 

Ulquiorra chuckled. “I saw them last night. I saw Kurosaki _trying_ to fuck her. I saw his pathetic attempt to please her. I left. I went to Candy Ink. Renji did this!” He pointed at his lips then his nose. He looked pretty pleased at this declaration. “Pesche did this.”

 

“I figured that, dumbass. Why'd you get a tattoo and a piercing?”

 

“Wait, I'm not done! My night didn't end there. I then went to the store and I bought two bottles of vodka. I'm almost done with this one then I'm going to start on the other one,” he said as he poured more liquid into that tiny cup.

  
Nel took two steps and snatched the bottle away from him. “How are you not dead or on the floor?” she asked screwing the cap onto the container.

 

Ulquiorra threw back the shot into his mouth and glared at the woman. “That's what I'm doing. I'm drinking enough so I pass out. If I get sick, maybe, I'll choke on it and die.”

 

“Jesus—I didn't know you were that self-centered and dumb, Ulquiorra.”

 

“What? Scared that if I die, you'll all be out on your asses having to pay your own way in life again?”

 

“What the hell?”

 

“You're all fucking moochers. You're all taking advantage of _my goodwill_ and _generosity_. You're all fucking leeches. Especially _her_ ,” he muttered, looking at the shot glass with an unimpressed frown. “She was faking it last night. I _know_ what she sounds like when coming. Kurosaki couldn't fuck his way out of a wet paper bag. Fucking him on the couch... We'll have to burn it, you know?”

 

Nel didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or not. He sounded so different from the other times she'd encountered him drunk. He'd been an angry drunk, screaming at her for Orihime's transgressions. Now he was mumbling about how terrible of friends they were being and him wanting to set the couch on fire. She sighed.

 

“C'mon, you're going to bed,” Nel said with an air of authority.

 

“You coming with me?”

 

Nel raised her eyebrows in shock then furrowed them. She got him to his feet and he swayed dangerously. She had to keep hold of him. “What? No, Ulquiorra.”

 

“But you're warm and soft,” he murmured. Nel wasn't quick enough as he moved closer to her and shoved his face into her cleavage.

 

She was beginning to think wearing a low cut tanktop was the wrong thing to put on this morning. The next thought was she should punch him in the nose. With annoyance, Nel steered Ulquiorra to his bed. She had to keep reminding herself that he was drunk off his face. She almost fell on top of him as she pushed him backward. He had grabbed her hand.

 

"Owww, my nose! I forgot," Ulquiorra said as he landed on the bed with a thump. She looked at him. He was staring at her with wide green eyes. “C'mon Nel, come to bed with me,” he said.

 

“You're drunk. Sleep it off. Later today, you'll thank me. Maybe tomorrow. Or you'll feel like a fool,” she stated, lips in a straight line. If he knew who she was and was still hitting on her, he wasn't that drunk. “I'll have Grimmjow check on you later.”

 

She turned to go and was almost to his door when she heard words that made her stop and return her gaze to his face.

 

“I'm going to turn myself in. I'm going to go to the police in Utsunomiya and confess,” he said. Ulquiorra was sitting up, staring at her blearily.

 

“You don't know what you're saying Ulquiorra. Shut up and sleep it off.”

 

* * *

 

Orihime's first appointment with Unohana had been a disaster. The redhead just sat and stared at the floor not saying anything for an hour. The Yakuza woman sitting across from her had tried to pry with questions but she said nothing.

 

It was the first day of March and today was her second session and Nel had dropped her off in Grimmjow's car. The woman promised that someone would be back to pick her up as soon as the sixty minutes was up. The only reason Nel drove her was that she had a doctor's appointment at the women's clinic. Nel was due in just twenty-five days.

 

She was really excited too. Orihime had been indifferent about the whole baby business. She had seen the nursery. The redhead hadn't been to any doctors appointments in eight weeks since her _rescue_ from that warehouse. She didn't want anyone to touch her.

 

Not even Ichigo.

 

Even after the incident on Valentine's day, Orihime hadn't called or texted the orange-haired man. He had called and left messages on her phone. He sent texts to her. She realized she was leading him on again. It wasn't fair to him. So she ignored him for the past two weeks. He couldn't compare to her past lovers. He couldn't even hold a flame to them.

 

She found herself visiting the university again and sitting in the stairwell. She found herself in front of that house staring up at the second floor. If she knew where that warehouse was, she would have gone there too.

 

With a sigh, she entered the door to the therapist's office.

  
Retsu had a smile on her face. Orihime smiled back but said nothing. She took off her coat and laid it on her lap as she sat on the couch.

 

“Orihime, it's nice to see you again. It's been too long since your last appointment. I didn't get to see you in February,” the older woman said.

 

The redhead shrugged. “Sorry, I was busy.”

 

“It's alright. Orihime, do you know what Stockholm Syndrome is?”

 

“Yes,” she replied.

 

“Can you give me your definition of it?”

 

“Is it important?”

 

The woman nodded cheerfully.

 

She sighed, “It's where you form an emotional bond with the villain. Tsukishima told me that was his goal. He wanted me to feel resentment towards the people I cared about. He told me this two hours before he died. He said he knew his brother and Bazz would try to be the hero; the man of the hour. What he didn't plan on was Grimmjow or—He didn't expect others to be there.”

 

“Would you say that you formed an emotional attachment to him?”

 

Orihime bit her lip and looked out one of the windows. Her emotional bond with Tsukishima started the day that she had taken that exam to gain entrance into the university. The day that she met him. It had been a negative emotional link but in situations like those, there was never a positive emotional bridge when one was being a hostage. “Yes.”

 

“Did you feel you needed to do this because it was a factor of your survival?”

 

“No.”

 

“No? Did being with Tsukishima bring up any memories of your childhood?”

 

She shook her head. “Why would it do that?”

 

“You're a product of abuse, Orihime. Your parents drank and did drugs. They abused you. Do you think you're attracted to men who like abusing you?”

 

“Woah! That's a bit out of line! How do you know about my parents?”

 

The woman smiled. “I like to know about my clients beforehand. I like to do my research.”

 

“Just because my parents made poor choices doesn't mean I'm destined to do the same,” Orihime stated. The therapist continued to smile which irritated the redhead.

 

“Ulquiorra Cifer?”

 

She couldn't hide the tears that his name produced. “What about him?”

 

“What do you feel for him? What kind of emotions does his name invoke?”

 

Orihime felt her breath coming in sharp gasps. What emotion did his name invoke? Was this woman a therapist or some kind of sadistic person? He conjured all kinds of emotions from the warm, fuzzy ones to the ones that left her cold inside at her own heartlessness.

 

“Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?”

 

“He's Grimmjow.”

 

“You were involved with him, weren't you?”

 

She nodded. “I care deeply about him but I realized I never loved him. Please, don't say the next name.”

 

“Which name? Ulquiorra Cifer or Tsukishima Shukuro? What about Ichigo Kurosaki?”

 

The tears fell down her face, leaving hot tracks over her cheeks. Her body shook from the force of trying to keep her sobs under control. This woman was ruthless.

 

“The thing is Orihime, people are often surprised at their own state of mind and reactions. People who experience depression are often shocked when they remember the times they thought of killing themselves. Patients who have psychotic episodes are stunned when they're told what they've done. Are you surprised by anything you've done?”

 

“What are you saying?” she said, sniffling.

 

“Do you ever think of the fact that Tsukishima could have lied to you while you were his captive?” Retsu asked. “We do amazing things as humans. We're always trying to surpass something, someone. We strive to be better, stronger, wealthier or have more experience.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

The older woman shrugged. “What do you want it to mean? You should find balance in your life. Think about what you want and what you want to accomplish.”

 

“ _No_! What do you mean Tsukishima lied to me? He wouldn't lie! He trusted me, I could have helped him!” Orihime snapped. “He told me so many things. He said you people would try to tell me that his words were lies.”

 

“Calm down, Orihime.”

 

“No!” She shouted, standing up. “I'm done here.”

 

The redhead turned on her heel and she was out of that office. She didn't see where she was going so she was surprised to find herself colliding with another body. Arms reached out to steady her and Orihime looked up to see murky green eyes looking at her.

 

“Woman,” Ulquiorra said. “Are you alright?”

 

More tears filled her eyes as she stared at him. Fear, anger, warmth, love poured through her and she didn't understand how all those emotions came to the surface at the same time. How could she look at this man and still feel something for him after what he did? Her eyes landed on his mouth and then his nose. Ulquiorra had done it again. Her eyes flickered from his dark upper lip to his eyes.

 

“No,” she uttered. “No, I'm not okay but you already knew that.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sleeping with Sirens - Left Alone  
> Demxtina - Patience  
> Fireflight - Unbreakable  
> Brandon Flowers - I Can Change  
> Volumes - We Are Finite  
> Ariana Grande - Almost Is Never Enough


	10. Red Mourning Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bazz gets the rundown on what the consequences are. Ulquiorra and Orihime have a chat which ends up making things worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Yubitsume is the Yakuza practice of cutting off fingers in atonement for doing something that shouldn't have done. It's a mark of shame and often times, how you could find Yakuza members in Japan. Outside of the Yakuza or in different countries, former or current members wear prosthetics.
> 
> I've also started mixing the Japanese Correctional System with the American one. I'm not wholly comfortable writing what happens in an actual Japanese prison.

It was cold outside. Bazz was in the exercise cage. He wore a hat, t-shirt, a sweatshirt and coat along with some fleecy type sweats. It was still fucking cold with all those layers on his body. He was currently hanging from a chilly metal bar doing inverted oblique crunches, using his stomach muscles to pull himself up to the far side of either leg.

 

He was breathing hard, his breath puffing in clouds every time he came up. His body was in the cage but his mind was lost in thought.

 

A sigh left him as the face emerged, taking shape. Her heart-shaped face with the wide somber and haunted tan eyes. The cotton candy lips blending into her barely sun-kissed and peachy skin. Every time she blushed there was that intense color that reached across her nose and cheeks when embarrassed.

 

Nelliel Tu.

 

Since he had been in here he thought about her a lot. It'd only been one month since that first and only visit from her. After the outburst where he'd broken the receiver, the glass partition, and fought the guards; Bazz had been labeled a violent prisoner. He'd taken Nel off his visitor's list. He couldn't take the rage her presence set off in him. He mostly called her and wrote letters.

 

He didn't even know why he had gotten angry.

 

Lies. He didn't know why he lied to himself.

 

Bazz could spew as many lies as he wanted to. He knew what set him off. He fucking knew why he had flipped out. It was the first time he'd shown her what he was capable of in terms of anger. He could destroy people with his hands. He was a hot head and seeing her break down at his words... It had been too much. He'd been holding too much inside.

 

Pissed off at his own words, he lashed out. He was fucking frustrated! His woman; his lover; his baby was sobbing because he was an idiot. Because Bazz had to be the hero! He'd became irate because he wouldn't be there for the birth of the baby. He wouldn't be standing with Grimmjow in some clinic waiting for someone to come out and tell them congratulations, it was a healthy baby girl!

 

The day that Nel stood between him and the other man, Bazz had the image of them all being together. Them raising a little girl together. He'd be Uncle Bazz and he'd spoil the child rotten. Maybe Nel would agree with him and her having a kid of their own. He didn't think Grimmjow would be too happy with the idea.

 

This was his choice. He could have let the rightful suspect take the fall for this but Bazz couldn't. He knew why he was doing this.

  
It was atonement. It was retribution to pay for what he had done to Nel and the other woman. At first, he had become friends with Nel for the sole purpose of having sex with her. He wanted to add her to add to the hundreds of women already under his belt but he got to know her. He spent time with her. He wanted to protect her. It was a change from his normal fuck 'em and leave 'em attitude. Nel had personality.

 

He no longer wanted to screw around with Tsukishima's plan. His objective changed. He now wanted her all to himself. He wanted to seduce her and promise her the world.

 

His dead dickhead of a brother had destroyed all of that when his men stormed Bazz's apartment and taken her to the old building in Utsunomiya. Bazz further spoiled things by participating in the violation of Orihime Inoue. He did it to keep his half-brother's attention off Nel.

 

She had forgiven him. He didn't understand why she had done it. Bazz was grateful though. It made him have hope for the future. He'd been stupid to think of things like that. He was a son of a criminal mastermind. He had no future. If he ever got out of prison, he'd be stuck cleaning shit off the boots of the lowest thugs or Aizen would just have him killed. Maybe he'd be forced to show the shame of his crime by committing yubitsume.

 

Nothing like the unconditional love of a parent who makes you cut off your fingers.

 

When Jushiro came into the visitation room, he looked somber. Bazz knew bad shit was about to go down. The prosecutor trailed in after him. Bazz had held his head up and waited for the lethal blow.

 

Bazz was to have a trial to dispute the so-called self-defense angle of his confession. In the meantime, they would investigate further and Bazz would be sent to a detention center, a real one. One where his father had no ties to give him a cushion to sit on.

 

The prosecutor also informed him that Aizen had given him a blessing.

 

“A blessing for what?”

 

“He wants me to convict you so that you'll get the death penalty. You know what happens then, don't you, Bazzard? If you just confess to the murder without this self-defense nonsense, you'll get twenty-years hard labor.”

 

Bazz knew what would happen if he was convicted. In order for the prosecutor to convince the judge that he deserved the sentence, there would be nine things to be looked over. Those nine things were important.

 

He had already displayed vicious behavior. He had no motive for “killing” his brother except the self-defense admission. Supposedly, he shot Tsu execution style and there was only one victim. He knew his father would air his sentiments to the judge. The man would lay no claim to being Bazz's father.

 

As for Tsukishima's death having an impact on Japanese society, there was virtually no impact. No one knew who Tsukishima was; no one knew what he did. The only ones who had been impacted by the death was Orihime Inoue and Ulquiorra Cifer. Bazz could have cared less if his brother was alive or dead. The man had violated Nel.

 

He was still young being only twenty-five. He had no prior criminal record.

 

If it came down to it, Bazz would show how remorseful by offering to pay Aizen a fee. The only way in Japan which showed true remorse was money. If you could pay your way out of a conviction, you would.

 

After he was left alone with Jushiro, Bazz looked at the man. “Jugo still refusing to be my lawyer? I'm stuck with your pansy ass?”

 

“I can leave you to the wolves, Bazzard. Jugo wants to represent you, Yhwach has decided this would be a conflict of interest,” Jushiro said.

 

“Where am I going?”

 

The man with white hair sighed. “I've asked them to send you to Kitsuregawa, it's a privately funded detention center but you could be sent to Kurobane or even Fuchu.”

 

“Fuchu is the big prison in North Tokyo. They have the—If I get the death penalty I won't be moved far—”

 

Jushiro looked at the man before him. “Calm down and listen to me. For them to execute someone for a single murder for someone without prior convictions is _extraordinary_. I don't think it's been done in the entire time I've been practicing Criminal Law. If you had raped Tsukishima before you executed him, then yes, they would consider it. Or if you killed someone else along with him, they'd consider it.”

 

“How much do I gotta pay to show I'm only worth the ten years for the gun? How much do I have to spend to get rid of the other charges?”

 

“You're talking millions of yen,” the other man replied. “Aizen would drain you. This is what is going to happen.”

 

His lawyer spent a good part of an hour telling him what the trial would be like and what would happen if he was convicted and sentence. He'd be in solitary confinement for the rest of his days. He would only have communication between the guards. He would only get to exercise twice a week and couldn't do any physical activity within his cell. He would never watch television again. He could possess three books. Letters would be discouraged. Visits would be infrequent and supervised. There would be dividers between them just like now.

 

He'd never get to touch Nel again. That single thought made his entire body go cold.

 

If convicted and sentenced, Bazz could spend up to five years on death row. He'd know mere hours before he was hanged. He would be offered a meal and a chance to talk to a priest. He would stare at the statue of Kannon present in every execution chamber. His hands and feet would be bound and he'd be blindfolded.

 

Three guards would press three identical buttons so they wouldn't have to live with the guilt of taking a life. The trapdoor would open and he'd fall a good distance until the rope pulled tautly and his neck snapped. No one but officials would see him die. Whoever he put down on his papers as family wouldn't be notified of his death until months later.

 

“And if I pay my reparations and I get just the weapon charges?” Bazz asked, scared shitless at this point.

 

Jushiro painted a much prettier picture of possibly living ten to fifteen years behind bars.

 

He called the couple to tell them the news when his meeting was done.

 

When the red-haired man got back to his cell, he sighed and ran his hands through his hair. It was growing out and it felt odd because for the longest time since Bazz was a kid, it was always shaved down each side and the mohawk held high by waxes and pomades made to make his hair defy gravity.

 

It became his trademark look. Thugs knew when the guy with the red mohawk came through, your ass was done.

 

Now?

 

He had peach fuzz growing in, the color was a light brown. His vibrant hair that Nel loved touching so much because it was silky was a dull red, bordering on maroon color. He knew he looked like shit. He felt like shit. Some days, it took all he had to keep it together.

 

Bazz sank to the cool cement floor and dug his elbows into his thighs, planting his chin in the palm his hands. He had to think. What would Grimmjow say if he knew he could be facing death? What would Nel think? No—he couldn't think of that because he'd go into a rage again.

 

He could almost imagine the smug asshole's look and his words. He'd probably be happy and say good riddance to Bazz. The thought wrenched at his heart. Over the time he had gotten to know Nel, he'd gotten to know Grimmjow. He didn't know the little things like Grimmjow's favorite food or color but he considered the man an ally of sorts.

 

The entire day before his brother's death, being in Grimmjow's company with minimal interference from Nel was making his brain work overtime. He had kept telling himself he didn't want the other man at all. He was straight. Straight as a fucking arrow. He liked pussy. As the three of them stood in that room, Bazz reconsidered. He could get into Grimmjow but _only_ Grimmjow. He thought about it and that's when he decided to rib the man every chance he got. It'd either lead to them fighting or fucking.

 

Since he'd been in here, Bazz had several phone conversations with Grimmjow when Nel wasn't around, like when Grimmjow was at work. They'd talk about different shit, nothing too heavy. Just nothing. They even teased and flirted with each other. It was stupid but Bazz enjoyed it and it kept his mind off the mess called his life. 

 

Then he had said those words on Valentine's day. Why the fuck had he told Grimmjow that? Why did he say that he loved him?

 

The truth hit Bazz like an electric shock.

 

Fuck.

 

He turned his head away from the window in the door and angrily wiped his face, erasing the tears coming from his eyes.

 

It was all fucking bullshit!

 

 _Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit_!

 

His father had always said Bazz felt more passionately than anyone so when he finally found the right woman he'd fall for her like a body from the top of a building. Hard and fast. He would slam into the ground and his breath would stop.

 

That's what it was like being in love with two people. He tried to push the blue-haired and teal-haired couple out of his mind for right now. He had to focus on this new place.

 

When he got to the Kitsuregawa Detention Center, Bazz noticed things were different. He had a bit more freedom which was good. He wanted Nel and Grimmjow to visit but didn't want to have another outburst.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra drove with Orihime in the passenger seat of his car. Nel had sent him a text telling him to go pick the woman up from therapy. He'd groaned and bitched but when he saw the woman, his stomach dropped to his feet. She looked awful.

 

He kept glancing over at her as she stared dejectedly out of the window. It was starting to sprinkle. Hopefully, the weather would remain above freezing so the streets wouldn't turn to ice. It had been chilly but nothing terrible.

 

Ulquiorra sighed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“No,” she replied.

 

“I'll listen if you want. I'm willing to do that for you. I just—”

 

“You just what?” Orihime finally turned to look at him.

 

He said nothing as he got onto the expressway, going towards Utsunomiya. “I just want you to be happy, Orihime. I told you that months ago when I apologized to you in Grimmjow's apartment. I can understand why you're unhappy with me but I was not myself that night. If you had just looked at me or acknowledged my presence, I wouldn't have done anything. All I saw was red.”

 

“Tsukishima was going to turn you over to Aizen,” she explained. He could hear the tears building in her eyes through her voice. “I went with him to save _you_. I had to do what he said. I loved you enough to give myself to him. Two hours before you guys arrived, he came to talk to me. I was given explicit instructions to ignore everything except him. I heard you.”

 

Ulquiorra stared at the road in front of him. He was afraid to even glance at Orihime. “Why are you mad at me? Why do you resent me?”

 

“I was with him for almost a month, Ulquiorra. What was I supposed to do? Remain cold and heartless? Tsukishima was—”

 

“Stop, I don't want to hear what he did to you.”

 

“Too bad. You opened this can of worms, we might as well empty it out. He was almost loving every time we had sex. He didn't mind my attitude or my questions. I felt like he listened to every single word I said, instead of brushing me off. I have feelings for him and I've got to work through them. I thought I could help him,” she said sniffling.

 

Ulquiorra clenched his jaw. She was crying now and he was responsible for it. “What do you feel for him?”

 

“Right now? Anger, because he's dead. I'm angry because he's gone and I can't pick myself up. I'm angry because he's not here to take it out on.”

 

“What do you feel for me?”

 

“Anger. I'm just an angry person at the moment. You don't realize how you knocked me down with what you did. I'm not in any shape or form of being okay with anything. I haven't been okay since you left for America. You don't even realize what you did that day,” Orihime sobbed. “I've not been okay since my brother died years ago. No one except you and Tsukishima saw the real me. The one that cries when it rains. The Orihime that just stares at stuff because she's lonely. You saw that mask I put on around others.”

 

He found himself tearing up at her words. He blinked quickly to get rid of the tears. He didn't want to touch his face because of the pain concerning his newly pierced nose. Ulquiorra wanted to stop the car right on the pavement and take her in his arms but he couldn't. “I'm sorry, Woman.”

 

“How can I get back up Ulquiorra? How can I get back the last two years? How can I get back those couple of happy days I had with you before you left?”

 

“I don't know. You can't. It's impossible. What do you want me to do Orihime?” he asked but noticed she was silent. Ulquiorra looked at her and noticed she was looking out the window again.

 

“Where are we going?” Orihime asked.

 

“Utsunomiya. I'm turning myself into the police.”

 

“What?” She shouted.

 

“I am turning myself in,” he stated. “I'm not going to let Bazz go down for this. You said that Kurosaki would be a perfect substitute for a father. I figured it'd be okay if I did this. If I did this, you'd forgive me.”

 

“Are you stupid? If you do this then you won't even be around for _our_ son!”

 

“You said you had Kurosaki,” Ulquiorra retorted. “He's a fine replacement for me. I hope he makes you happy.”

 

“He doesn't. He's a distraction. He's not Tsukishima. He's not Grimmjow,” she replied. “He's not _you_. He sucks in bed. He's moody—”

 

Ulquiorra started laughing.

 

“What?”

 

He shook his head, making his long dark hair move. “I knew it,” Ulquiorra said in an amused tone. “I damn well knew it.”

 

“What did you know?”

 

The green-eyed man grinned. He was amazed how fast they could talk about different things and how quickly their moods changed around each other. “You were faking on Valentine's day. I saw you two. I watched. I knew you were faking your orgasm.” He looked over at the woman and shook his head again. She was as red as a tomato. “I know what it sounds like when you get off, Woman.”

 

“Why did you get that tattoo and that piercing?”

 

Oh, they weren't talking about that anymore. She was embarrassed about it. Probably because he was right.

 

“Because I was hurting. Because I wanted to feel physical pain. I'm tired of all this emotional strife in my life. You don't realize how his death... The fact that I caused it—tears me up inside. I can't take it back, Orihime. I can't say I'm sorry and this will all smooth over.”

 

“I do realize that,” she said. “I study you just as much as you study me.”

 

He scoffed. There was no possible way she studied him just as much as he took notice of her. “Do you realize that I want to die, that's why I'm doing this? I'm turning myself in because I know my confession will bring down that verdict. I shot him in a blind rage. I did it out of spite. I did it in cold blood,” he said through gritted teeth.

 

“I don't believe that. What you did was a heat of the moment thing,” she argued. “It was a moment of passion that caused you to—you didn't plan for it!”

 

“Yes, I did. I wanted to kill him for taking you away from me. I want to end myself because I can't deal with all these emotions any longer,” he said. “I almost killed myself in my final year of high school.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I couldn't repress my emotions. I felt things for Grimmjow and Nel. I couldn't handle it. I was going to jump off a five-story building. No, not jump, I was going to step off it. I want to die now because I can't handle this guilt. I cannot handle the fact that Bazz is going down for this when it should be me,” Ulquiorra replied.

 

“You're selfish. You're not thinking about your son or me. What about your mom? What about your friends?”

 

“You'd all move on. Everyone would forget about me.”

 

“Pull the car over.”

 

“We are in the middle of nowhere!”

 

“Pull the car over!”

 

“No! Let me find an exit or a sign.”

 

“PULL THE _FUCKING_ CAR OVER, ULQUIORRA!”

 

He ignored her yelling and when he found the nearest place to exit the expressway, he did so, turning into a gas station. He pulled into the very last parking spot in the lot and turned the car off. “Orihime,” he said.

 

“Don't.”

 

“I just—“

 

“I. Said. Don't.”

 

Ulquiorra sighed and stared at the young woman sitting beside him. “I'm sorry,” he said again.

 

“Do you remember what happened the first time I thought you died?” she said, looking down at her lap. “I lost our baby. I miscarried. I wanted to give up on life but I didn't. If you go through with this do you think I'll be able to go on? How can I look at this baby and move on?”

 

He knew he was being an idiot but he didn't care. He leaned over to her side of the car and used his hand to turn her face towards him. Ulquiorra kissed her. He didn't care if she was fucking Kurosaki. He didn't care about anything at that moment but her.

 

He used the edge of his thumb to push against her chin. He wanted to feel her tongue against his; it'd been such a long time. He felt her hands run through his hair slowly. After a minute or two (he wasn't sure) of them kissing each other, Ulquiorra rested his forehead against hers.

 

“This isn't fair.”

 

“You're right, it's not,” Orihime agreed. “What do we do?”

 

“What do you want to do?” He asked as he straightened himself to look at her.

 

“Please, don't do this. I'm just angry right now. I'm confused and I'm hurting. I need you to understand that. Sometimes, I'm gonna need my space, Ulquiorra,” Orihime said, pleading with him. “I can't—I don't want to lose you.”

 

“What about Bazz though? That guilt is eating me alive,” he responded.

 

“I don't know.”

 

Ulquiorra sighed. He knew what he wanted to do was the _right_ thing to do. Nel had told him not to do this. Orihime was telling him not to do this. “What do we do about us, Woman?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slipknot - XIX  
> Zack Hemsey - The Way  
> Hammock - Dark Beyond the Blue  
> Zack Hemsey - Waiting Between Worlds  
> Deadmau5 - Bleed  
> Hammock - Mono No Aware  
> Last Days - Your Silence is the Loudest Sound  
> Mattia Cupelli - Love and Loss  
> Hammock - Ten Thousand Years Won't Save Your Life


	11. War Drums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aizen holds a meeting with Kyoraku and finds out an important detail involving Tsukishima's murder. Grimmjow discusses things with his bandmate. It's the end of the line for Nel's kidnappers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.

He sat across from a man with long brown hair and two pinwheel hairpins stuck at the nape of his neck where the ponytail was secured. The man had a scruffy beard and wore a pink flower patterned kimono over his expensive suit like a cloak. An eye patch covered the man's right eye, and while Shunsui Kyoraku might have seemed amused, the Tokyo warlord knew that it wasn't genuine. The smile didn't reach the escort tycoon's lone eye.

 

“You've called me here, Aizen,” Kyoraku said, swirling the sake around in his cup. “What can I do for you?”

 

“I just thought we would have a nice discussion.”

 

“Heh, a discussion. I like talking things out. Especially if it can avert _fighting,_ ” the man said. “Isn't that right Jushiro?”

 

Aizen's brown eyes cut to the other man sitting at this table. Jushiro Ukitake, Bazz's lawyer. His eyes narrowed slightly. He knew his son had been moved to an actual detention center and that his trial was going to be starting soon.

 

The man with the white hair gave a slight nod.

 

“Can you tell me why Kenpachi Zaraki was found Utsunomiya, which is your territory, with my _dead_ son? I think you would want to minimize the backlash from a much powerful faction,” Aizen said leveling a look at the dark-haired man.

 

“I did not know anything about what happened to your son Sosuke. I didn't know anything until Jushiro woke me up and told me,” Kyoraku stated. “Togichi is a big area, what makes you think I know what goes on in each inch of it?”

 

Aizen scoffed and took a drink from his own glass of alcohol. Ever since Tsukishima died, he had started to drink more. “I happen to know what is going on in every corner of Tokyo. Yhwach knows what goes on in the rest of the Tokyo prefecture.”

 

“That's because Yhwach deals with country bumpkins and backwater Yakuza. Ones who don't know how it all works in the big city,” Jushiro stated.

 

He raised his eyebrows at the man who spoke. “I suppose but the same goes with Utsunomiya. You boys have no clue how it all works in the big city.”

 

“Are you threatening us?”

 

“War is on the horizon, gentlemen. If you'll excuse me, I have better things to occupy myself with today,” Aizen said and stood. He threw several bills onto the table to pay for his drinks and walked out of the bar.

 

A lot of things didn't make sense to Aizen but now was not the time to reveal them. He had to appear that he was the strong one without faults. He had to be powerful; invincible. He'd show every one of his enemies that he would conquer the entire country. They'd all bow down to him as he became the king—no the God of the Yakuza.

 

Weeks ago he had stood in that warehouse that was now full of Tsukishima's and Bazz's things from the house in Nikko and the former's apartment. It was mostly furniture. He stared at that tape outline of a body and the stain on the rough concrete floor.

 

He had eight people with him. There was a man who roughly stood the same height as Tsukishima. He motioned for the man to kneel where the feet of the outline was. The next man was the same height as Bazzard. He handed the man a gun almost identical to Bazz's own firearms.

 

“There are no bullets, don't worry. These gentlemen from the Criminal Investigation Department are going to conduct some tests.”

 

Three men looked at notes before they began to position the man that was standing in front of the kneeling one. One of the CID men wrinkled his brow and shook his head.

 

“Are you sure your son is this tall?”

 

Aizen nodded. Why would they be questioning how tall Bazz was?

 

Two blocks of ballistic gel were brought out and Aizen raised his eyebrows. “What is this?”

 

“Oh sorry, sir. We need to shoot the gun into the gel to determine a theory that we have,” one of the men said. “If Bazz were to shoot the victim where the bullet was, he would have looked like this.”

 

One of the men positioned the standing man in a slightly uncomfortable looking pose. Another man took a picture. The kneeling man was shuffled out of the way and the gun was loaded and the gel was fired into.

 

“Now if Bazz was standing full height and shot the victim in the head the bullet would have angled downwards, like this.” The kneeling man was back. The standing man was now upright. The gel was put into place, the gun fired and Aizen saw it immediately.

 

“Someone much shorter fired that gun.”

 

* * *

 

As Aizen looked through his sons' things, he realized he didn't know much about either male. He didn't have the time to get to know his children. Regret washed over him. Years had been wasted trying to claw his way to the top that he had left the care of the children with nannies and their various women he had married.

 

He could remember Tsukishima as a young boy climbing over the balcony railing and almost falling off. He had scolded the boy. He could remember Bazz kicking a soccer ball inside the penthouse and knocking some old click off the fireplace mantle. He'd yelled that time. Those two were his kids. The Christmases and birthdays flashed through his head. Tsukishima getting awards for various school things. Him and Bazz graduating, the latter just barely.

 

Tsukishima had decided to go to a university. Bazz, a technical college for something to do with finances. The red-haired male said it would be an asset to his father's business one of these days. Then the boy became interested in Law.

 

Bazz was smarter than he appeared and Aizen had underestimated him. He went to drain Bazz's accounts of their funds, only to find he couldn't. His son hadn't let the money just sit there while Aizen put money in every month.

  
He had grown the amount given to him and then channeled that into an account that Aizen couldn't touch. What Aizen pulled from the account he could touch, was a mere one hundred thousand yen. He couldn't do anything about the nearly three-hundred million yen sitting in various accounts. Aizen couldn't even sell off Bazz's apartment or his car.

 

Tsukishima didn't even have a quarter of that amount sitting in the bank. Aizen sold off the black R8. He sold the house in Nikko. He sold the small apartment in Shinjuku. The crime lord kept the warehouse though.

 

He didn't think of it as an invasion of privacy as he rifled through his sons' belongings. It was how he came across an interesting set of pictures.

 

* * *

 

“Sloane wants us to put together an EP. She gave me the name of a studio we could go to, the producer's name and—Zom, are you listening?”

 

Grimmjow looked at his bandmate and frowned. Zommari was looking down at two textbooks and a notebook which had meticulous notes.

 

“I am listening. I just don't see it happening. How am I supposed to study, record this EP, and practice; not to mention on top of all of that I have to work! We don't even know what we're going to sing. Vapor Atrophy was a cover band.”

 

The blue haired man slapped down the notebook. “I've got the material. Sloane likes the six songs she tore out of this.”

 

Zom motioned for Grimmjow to give him the notebook and the blue-haired man slid the piece of stationery over. The black man flipped it open. He was quiet as he laid the six pieces of paper over his own work. “Stardust? Finite? Drag Me Down? Feel Like This? Way You Blush? Disappear? She seriously picked these out?”

 

Grimmjow nodded. “I know they're crap but I wrote them all on a whim. I can't write worth anything.”

 

“You even wrote the drum lines for them?”

 

He nodded again. “I was trying to help you out.”

 

“When are you thinking we can get this done and how much is it going to cost?”

 

“I have no clue man. You'd have to ask Sloane. If we could practice this weekend, we could work out the guitar parts and then maybe it'd take a day or two,” Grimmjow said. “I'm hoping it only takes a day or two because Nel's about ready to pop. She keeps bitching about her back hurting and I keep having to go to the convenience store by my house at two or three in the morning looking for bananas and ice cream. Not mochii but ice cream.”

 

Zommari laughed. “Hoo boy, you haven't even gotten a taste of parenthood and you're already bitching up a storm. Just wait till she gets here. You're going to think you got knocked stupid.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Everything revolves around this tiny human, Grimmjow. You're not going to get sleep. You're not going to be able to have sex. You're not going to have any time,” Zom stated. “I remember when my daughter was that little. From what I hear from her mother, she's a little three-year-old terror who thinks she's a teenager. The ex says she's a ball of attitude with legs.”

 

“Nel's mom has been teaching her all the stuff we need to know. I'm gonna help out as much as I can. Sloane also told me that the record company wants us to tour with two bands. I've never heard of them,” Grimmjow said.

 

“Who are they?”

 

“Bang, Pop, Meow and Unicorns Shit Glitter or something.”

 

“BPM is a somewhat popular J-pop group and Unicorns _Burp_ Glitter is a Japanese hipster band or something. I've never really listened to them but they're also popular,” Zommari replied. “If we toured with them, we'd get exposure. I suppose BPM will be headlining it right?”

 

Grimmjow shrugged, “Call Sloane. I try not to talk to her if I can avoid it.”

 

“What do you have against her? Why the animosity?”

 

“She's just one of those people who I took a glance at and said, nope, not today Satan,” Grimmjow explained. He didn't feel like telling Zommari that the woman had hit on him.

 

* * *

 

Aizen was sitting in his office inside of Aizen & Sons Industries looking at the various pictures that were taken. He recognized the woman with the teal hair; she'd been sitting in the police station. He recognized the man with the black hair. The other two were trivial parts of this puzzle. A sigh came out of him and he tapped his fingers on the top of the desk as if waiting impatiently.

 

The double doors to his office opened. Two men stumbled through followed by Tosen and Kugo. “We found some individuals that will be willing to give you some information, sir,” the black man stated.

 

The man with pink hair and glasses shifted nervously while the man with blond hair and an eye patch was looking around. “Szayelapporo Granz and Tesla Lindocruz. You are some hard men to get an audience with. We've been looking for you boys for almost three months. Where'd you go? You were supposed to be with Tsukishima, Ggio Vega, and Abirama Redder the night he died.”

 

“Tsukishima sent us away before that night. A week before his death, we were dismissed from his company,” Tesla said.

 

“You were hired to protect him. You failed.”

 

The pink-haired guy spoke up, “We apologize, Aizen, sir. Tsukishima said we weren't needed once we did a job for him.”

 

“What job was this?” Aizen asked.

 

“Kidnapping Nelliel Tu from Bazz's apartment. There were eighteen other men with us that night besides Tsukishima,” Szayel answered. “Tsukishima paid us and said he didn't want to see our faces again.”

 

“What does this Nelliel Tu look like? Curvy woman with greenish-blue hair?” Aizen held up a photograph. “Is this her?”

 

The men looked at the picture and nodded. Nel was right in the middle of Cifer and the blue-haired man.

 

“Have either of you seen the other three people in this picture?”

 

“The guy with light blue hair is named Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. The redhead is Orihime Inoue,” Tesla answered. “The guy on the bottom is Ulquiorra Cifer.”

 

Aizen perked up at that woman's name. He'd seen it written down on some papers inside the warehouse. He waved a hand. “Dispose of them,” he said flippantly.

 

“Wait! We can help! We can tell you anything you need to know about the women,” Szayel said.

 

“I don't need to know anything about them, Granz. I'm just going to kill them.”

 


	12. Labor of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh! Something surprises Nel. Ulquiorra and Orihime are working through things. Bazz gets a shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.

Nel felt cramping in her back. Sometimes, the pain was so intense she felt like she was going to puke. The clinic had said the cramps were something called false labor. It was just her body getting ready to have the baby. It wasn't a fun thing to experience when she was at work, trying to scan things into the client database.

 

This pain felt totally different though. She took a deep breath and held it until the pain came back a couple of minutes later. This time it was worse. It started low on her hips and radiated up her belly then wrapped around her lower back.

 

“Rangiku!” she yelled.

 

The busty, blonde woman showed up a few moments later from the front of the shop. “Yeah? Are you okay, Nel?”

 

“What's labor feel like?”

 

“Do you think you're in labor?” Rangiku asked as she flitted over to where Nel sat in her office chair.

 

“I didn't fucking say that. What does it feel like?”

 

“Well, it varies from woman to woman. It kind of feels like someone stabbing you every couple of minutes,” the blonde said pursing her lips. “That's what it felt like to me. I went through eight hours of it with Gin. I don't ever plan on experiencing it again.”

 

“Lovely. Can—” the teal-haired woman hissed as another wave of pain hit her. “Jesus, it feels like my back is on fire. I think I'm gonna get sick.”

 

She could hear the other woman chuckle. “Oh honey, it's just starting too.”

 

Nel was slumped forward in the chair with her chin on her desk. “Here's my phone. Call Grimmjow.”

 

“How many contractions have you had?”

 

“Since when?”

 

“Seriously? When did they start?”

 

“This morning; they came and went I didn't think anything of it. I'm supposed to be delivering her at the end of the month, not March fucking eighteenth!” Nel said through gritted teeth. “They're about three minutes apart. What time is it now?”

 

"Six in the evening."

 

"They started at seven this morning."

 

"You've been having labor pains for eleven hours? You're fucking scary Nel."

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow was frantic as he drove with Nel in the passenger seat. He tried driving slowly but she started cursing at him that she needed to get to the clinic and she needed to get there _now_. Nel had called her doctor and explained the situation. They wanted her to come in.

 

“You need to call Ulq and Orihime. They can bring your bag to the hospital. You packed it, right?” Grimmjow asked. He could hear Nel breathing and it sounded harsh and broken in his ears. “Queen?”

 

Nel let out a long hiss of breath. “Shut the fuck up and drive or I'm going to castrate you. _Never again_. I don't care—”

 

“Okay, I'm driving. Not another word!”

 

Grimmjow pulled his phone out of his hoodie pocket and tapped Ulquiorra number. He put the device to his ear and waited.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Ulq, it's Grimm.”

 

“I know, I can see the screen.”

 

Grimmjow nodded his head. Of course, the guy knew who it was. Duh. His brain was frazzled and fried at the moment. “Nel's in labor. Can you bring her bag to the hospital? Clinic. Hell, I don't know. It's the bag with the unicorns printed all over it in the corner by her dresser.”

 

“What do you mean Nel's in labor? Like she's having the baby now?”

 

“Well, not now, now. She's coming though.”

 

He heard Ulquiorra sigh. “It's early. Nel still has two more weeks.”

 

“Yeah but if the little princess is coming now, I don't think we can stop her. She must want to be dramatic like her mom—Ow, fuck Nel!” Grimmjow glared at the woman beside him who slugged him in the arm.

 

“I think I just peed myself,” Nel said.

 

“What? Why would you pee in my car?”

 

“I don't know! It felt like a balloon just popped and now my pants are all wet! Call my mother!”

 

“Her water broke?” Ulquiorra asked.

 

“I don't know. I have no clue what the hell is going on right now!” Grimmjow snapped. “Just bring the bag to the clinic!”

 

He hung up the phone and started dialing another number.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra had been in the process of watching a movie with Orihime... That had been the excuse. They were making out like teenagers when Grimmjow called. On the surface, she was still dating Ichigo but keeping very minimal contact with the orange-haired man. She said she needed time to think about how to let Ichigo down gently. She would be breaking his heart for the third time, after all. Ulquiorra gave her space. He told her that his door was open whenever she wanted to hang out.

 

They'd agreed to be friends. They stayed friends for three days before she had him against the wall and was kissing him, trying to take his clothes off. It had progressed from there.

 

Whenever he and Orihime were alone they'd spent time together. They would talk about things that were important to them. They would kiss. Occasionally, Orihime would get him to touch her but they had abstained from sex since the first kiss in his car out in the middle of nowhere. He kept his clothes on the entire time he was around her.

 

He knew it was frustrating her because he wouldn't give into her demands and hints about what she wanted. Ulquiorra would never encourage her to cheat on her boyfriend. They were _friends_ and would remain so until she broke up with Ichigo.

 

It was frustrating for him too but he didn't show it. He was actually getting off on denying himself and her pleasure. He felt like he was in control of himself for the first time in years. Well, he felt that way until Grimmjow called and told him Nel was in labor. He could hear how angry the woman sounded on the other end of the line.

 

The reality of Orihime having to give birth hit him like a wrecking ball. What had he done to her?

 

 He hung up and looked at Orihime. “Put some proper clothes on. We have to get to the hospital. Nel's in labor.”

 

“What? Is she having the baby? Oh! That's awesome!” the redhead squeed with joy and ran her hands over her own baby bump. Ulquiorra smiled slightly watching her his anxiety about the situation growing.

 

“I'm going to get Nel's bag of things. We need to get into the car, Orihime.”

 

* * *

 

Orihime was excited and scared all at the same time as they walked into the women's clinic. Nel was having a baby! She could have danced around in joy but she remained very calm and composed as they were directed to the floor where Nel was currently in labor. The woman was walking around the clinic room in a pair of rented pajamas from the hospital and cussing at Grimmjow in low tones.

  
The blue-haired man was trying to get Nel to sit on the bed so he could rub her back like her mother had instructed him too. Grimmjow told them that Aika wouldn't be here for the birth and would visit later in the week depending on how Nel felt.

 

Orihime looked around the private room that Nel, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Bazz had all chipped in to pay for. It was nice. She wanted a room like this when it was her time. There was no way she could afford it though. She didn't want to ask Ulquiorra to pay for it either.

 

“We brought the bag,” Ulquiorra said and sat the unicorn covered bag on the floor. Nel nodded her thanks.

 

“We don't know how long this is going to take so if you guys want to go back home, you can,” Grimmjow said.

 

“There's a waiting room, we could go there,” Orihime said.

 

“Tone your tits down, Doll. Go home and relax,” Nel said gasping. Grimmjow was kneading the woman's lower back forcefully. “Why are you all fucking here? I—I'm not trying to be rude but this isn't something I want to anyone to see. Just go home. Grimm will call when she's here. Okay?”

 

The redhead pouted for a moment but she could understand Nel's words. Childbirth was a scary experience and it was only meant for the parents to see.

 

So, they went back home. Ulquiorra then left again to go to the grocery store. He asked if Orihime wanted to come with him but she shook her head. There was something she had to do.

 

* * *

 

Bazz didn't know what the hell was going on when he called Nel's phone. He just knew it was his turn for his cell block to use the phones. He was a bit surprised when Grimmjow answered.

 

“Hey man? Nel around?” he asked.

 

“This isn't a good time, Bazz.”

 

“Why?” the incarcerated man queried. “Everything okay?”

 

“Why are you on my goddamn phone? I'm trying to have a fucking baby and you're—”

 

“Bazz is on the line,” he heard Grimmjow say.

 

His pale green eyes went wide when he heard Nel's voice. He didn't think his ears were working right. So he asked, “What did she mean she's trying to have a baby?”

 

“She's in labor. She's been in labor since this morning but told no one,” Grimmjow said. “Fuck.”

 

The red-haired man's breathing hitched. Shit. It was actually happening. Nel was gonna be a mom. She'd be occupied with other things. He'd be forgotten. “She sounds pissed off, man.”

 

The blue-haired man sighed. “Nel isn't too fond of pain. This is your last phone call for today, isn't it?”

 

“Yep, I'm probably not going to get to talk to her before the bundle of joy comes. Congratulations, Grimm.” Bazz felt like an outsider as he talked to Grimmjow. This was it. They would be done with him as soon as the baby was born. The blissful honeymoon stage of their relationship had just come to a full stop and Bazz had been thrown from the train. His voice must have changed or something because Grimmjow sounded worried.

 

“What's wrong with you?”

 

“You and Nel are going to be busy with the baby and I've got my trial coming up. You all don't need the distractions—”

 

“ _Bazzard Black_ , you _need_ to _shut the hell up_ ,” Nel seethed into his ear. “I love you but I'm in a lot of pain and they won't give me anything for it. You _are not_ a distraction. You are someone who we love very much and wish you could be here right now. I think I've verbally insulted Grimmjow enough that he'd like to call in someone to take the blows for him.”

 

Bazz had to chuckle. Nel was a spitfire. “Baby, are you holding up okay?”

 

“I am _never_ having another child again. This _sucks_ so much... These attendants keep reminding me to bear my suffering in silence and the only thing I got to tell them is to—I need to calm down. Getting worked up only amplifies this pain,” Nel said.

  
He could tell she was pouting. “Hey, don't think about the pain. Okay? It's not there. Just remember what you love. Think about me and Grimm. Have you tried walking or a different position? You could send Grimm to get you something to eat. I remember researching the clinic you're in when I put down the last payment on the room. You can order room service or whatever.”

 

“Food does sound good, I've not eaten at all today. These old witches probably would frown on me eating a hamburger. Thank you for that too. I wouldn't want to give birth in a room with other women in there.”

 

“It was nothing, Baby. Order a shit ton of sushi. My time's almost up. Nel...” Bazz wanted to tell her how much she meant to him and get all sappy but he couldn't let himself get worked up. He had an image to maintain. “Love you.”

 

“I know you do. I wish you could be here.”

 

“I want you to focus on how good Grimmjow and I make you feel. No pain. Get some food. Okay? Those are Doctor Bazz's orders. I'll call tomorrow,” Bazz said before he heard the telltale click of the call disconnect.

 

Prisoners only got ten minutes of phone time every four hours. It meant Bazz could call Jushiro and Grimmjow once a day and Nel twice a day. He had a feeling that he'd be using that forty minutes of time all on Nel or Grimmjow tomorrow.

 

He sighed as he was escorted back to his cell. Every time he tried to distance himself away from the couple, they'd rope him right in again. Being away from those two was driving him mad. He wanted to be inside Nel. He wanted to be around Grimmjow as crazy as that sounded. With the news that the teal-haired woman was in labor made his heart ache for them even more.

 

Once, he was locked back into the cell, Bazz sighed. He was fucking tired of being in here.

 


	13. Ma Petit Princesse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet the baby! Grimmjow asks what his daughter's name is and is not happy when Nel gives an answer. Ichigo comes to the house to see Orihime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Baby Jaegerjaquez birthday is March 19th! I've mixed what happens in Japanese and American hospitals when it comes to childbirth because the Japanese have a really complex system and rundown when it comes to stuff.
> 
> I've gotten some hate through various outlets (tumblr, kik, email, someone found my facebook and messaged me) saying my Ichigo is OOC; unrealistic; an asshole. I hate Ichigo with the fire of 1000 flaming suns. HATE. He killed Ulquiorra... The moment he did that, my gloves came off because you know what Ichigo, fuck you. I dislike Orihime slightly (and put her through so much torture) because had the bitch not fucking brought him back then Ulquiorra would still be alive. *Shrugs* Ulquihime will always be my OTP.

After almost twenty-four hour of labor, Nel and Grimmjow said hello to their newborn daughter. The moment the woman looked at the precious baby, she fell instantly in love with the little girl. She found herself understanding everything that her mom had said to her about a mother's love. It was true. She would lay down her life for this child in a heartbeat.

 

She looked over at Grimmjow who was just as equally enamored by the little toes because he was counting them. He was tearing up at the fingers that were balled up and waving angrily in the air. Nel grinned as she held the infant after the nurses handed her the swaddled bundle and left the room.

 

“We made this,” he breathed.

 

“Yeah, we made this.”

 

“She's half of you and half of me.”

 

Nel tilted her head up and kissed Grimmjow gently. “I've always known under that hard exterior, you're a big softie.”

 

“I am not,” he said.

 

“You should probably go home and call people,” Nel said.

 

“Why would I go home to call them? I can call them perfectly fine right here,” he replied. “You think I'm gonna leave your side?”

 

“You're going to make Ulquiorra get the car seat over here?”

 

He frowned. “If Miss Dramatic hadn't come early, I would have had the thing in the car.”

 

Nel gave him a perplexed look. “How is she Miss Dramatic?”

 

“I can't call her _princess_ , Nel.” Grimmjow's cheeks got red.

 

“It's just a word. You called her little princess in the car.”

 

“Mon petit, then.”

 

“Since she's a girl wouldn't it be ma petit?” The baby started to fuss and Nel looked down at the girl. “Uh, well... I should probably feed her.”

 

Nel's face became flushed because Grimmjow plopped his butt down on the end of the bed. “Go ahead, I'm gonna watch this.”

 

“No, you're not.”

 

The two stared down each other until the infant let out a wail. Nel conceded and pulled down the top of her camisole. Her eyes went wide as the baby latched onto her nipple without another fuss. “That is the weirdest feeling in the world.”

 

“That is—”

 

“What?” Nel said glancing up at him. Grimmjow was looking at her like he was gobsmacked. “What is wrong with you?”

 

“You being a mother is a turn on,” he said.

 

“Oh, no, buddy. I was serious about the never having a kid again thing,” she stated, shaking her head. If Grimmjow thought he had ideas, Nel had another thing coming for him. “That was a lot of hard work.”

 

He scoffed. “I just said it was a turn on. You becoming a mom is a turn on. You're a milf now.”

 

Nel shook her messy teal head again. “You're an idiot. I've got stretch marks and after I'm done breastfeeding I won't have boobs. You say I'm a milf?”

 

“Nel?”

 

She turned her attention back to the infant who was still nursing. “Hmmm?”

 

“What'd you name her?”

 

Her face became hot. Nope, there was no way she was going to say it. So, Nel decided to evade the question. “You know she won't have a name until six days after she's born. So, the day I go home, she might have a name.”

 

“You already have a name for her,” Grimmjow pointed out. “I can tell.”

 

“Is Vain Noir Jaegerjaquez suitable?”

 

“An entirely French name?” he asked while grinning like an idiot. Nel saw the moment it sank in and the smile disappeared from his face. “ _Oh, hell, no!_ ”

 

* * *

 

Orihime woke up the next morning on her futon. She was excited and happy this morning. Nel either had the baby last night or maybe was on the verge of having her this morning. She got out of bed and went through her morning routine quickly. She made a slight detour by going to Ulquiorra's door. She opened the door just a crack to see him sitting in a pair of boxers on his bed reading.

 

She smiled. “Good morning,” Orihime said.

 

His head came up instantly and he flipped the blanket over his lower body. That made Orihime pout slightly. Did he honestly think a blanket would stop her?

 

“Morning,” he replied. “I've not gotten a call from Nel or Grimmjow so I don't know if the baby was born.”

 

Orihime's face immediately fell. “Oh,”

 

After Ulquiorra went to the store last night, Orihime stared at her phone as she sat at the dining room table. She had to call Ichigo. She had to talk to him but she didn't know what to say. Somehow, telling him the truth that she felt nothing but friendly feelings towards him and that he needed practice when it came to pleasuring a woman, didn't exactly seem to be a polite way to break up with some one. She didn't know what to tell him though.

 

She went to bed without deciding to do anything.

 

After she and Ulquiorra had breakfast, Orihime sat in her room, staring at her phone and looking out at the garden. She felt awful because she had used Ichigo for sex. She heard her room door open and in came Ulquiorra and the cat. Pantera had grown considerably over the past couple of months and the feline was now a sleek prowling machine. She rubbed her head against Orihime's knee then jumped onto the woman's desk to stare out the windows and chitter at the birds that liked gathering in the trees.

 

“Hey,” the man said, leaning against the door frame. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she said.

 

“I've got something for you,” he said.

 

Orihime looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

 

“Come here, Woman,” he said. His voice was low, husky and seductive. She could see how his eyes were half-lidded. Once she got close to him, she saw the desire in those emerald irises.

 

“What?” she asked quietly.

 

“Lift my shirt up.”

 

Orihime looked up at his face in worried confusion. He hadn't let her take his clothes off of him at all. He barely let her touch him unless it was kissing. “But—but—”

 

Ulquiorra grabbed her fingers and put it at the hem of his t-shirt and then started to move her hand upwards. She swallowed as she felt the slightly muscled surface of his stomach. She looked up at his face, his eyes were closed and his teeth dug into his bottom lip.

 

“I want to be with you, Ulquiorra,” Orihime murmured. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, letting her tongue trace lightly over the ink blackened skin of his upper lip.

 

“Woman,” he groaned. “That wasn't the surprise I had for you.”

 

Ulquiorra pulled his t-shirt off of his head and threw it onto the floor. He then pushed her away, holding his arms away from his body. Orihime didn't know what she was supposed to be looking for as her eyes trailed down his chest. Until he turned slightly and she saw it.

 

“My hairpins...” she looked up at his face. He was staring back at her. Ulquiorra had marked himself with something of hers. Orihime's breath caught in her throat. She reached out and put one of her hands over the tattoo. It was bigger than the palm of her hand. “You—when did you get this?”

 

“A couple days before you disappeared. I never got to show you. I never got to give you your Christmas presents. I never got to tell you how sorry I am I said the things I said. I wish I could take them all back,” Ulquiorra said, gazing down at her.

 

“It's okay, I forgive you. I've told you that.”

 

His arms wrapped around her and then he was kissing her, lips trailing down her chin and neck. His mouth lightly sucked against the hollow of her throat. She let her head drop back, moaning with need and want.

 

There was a knock on the door.

 

Orihime gasped. She could see the front door from the doorway of her room. The flash of orange hair had her eyes wide and pushing Ulquiorra away from her. It didn't help. Ichigo had seen them. She watched as a shirtless Ulquiorra exited her room and opened the front door.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

Ichigo didn't even answer him, he just pushed past the dark-haired man and glared at Orihime where she stood. “You said you were done with him,” he stated.

 

“I—I—I—”

 

“You said you hated him. You said you were done with him, Orihime. You lied to me. You looked me in the face and you lied to me,” Ichigo recited.

 

“I didn't mean to,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.

 

“Did you forget what he did? Did you forget what he's done to you? He left you. He abandoned you. He killed someone in front of you! Is that the type of guy you want to spend your life with? A killer? A murderer?”

 

The tears spilled over. She wiped her eyes. Orihime could see Ulquiorra looking at her with his arms crossed over his chest. He was waiting for an answer just as much as Ichigo was waiting for a reply. She remained silent.

 

The orange-haired man's voice became louder. “You have made me look like a fool! I have stood up for you so many times when people said you were using me or you were a whore and a bitch. I protected you from them!”

 

“I know and I'm sorry. No one asked you too!”

 

“Why did you lie to me? Why did you tell me you were over him? Were you using me?”

 

The redhead nodded.

 

Ichigo nodded bitterly and then turned around. Orihime saw him face to face with Ulquiorra. “This isn't over Cifer. It's not over by a long shot.”

 

“She has never wanted you Kurosaki, face that fact,” Ulquiorra said, not backing down from the taller man's threat.

 

“I will kick your ass on the day you least expect it,” Ichigo said before walking out of the house and slamming the door.

 

The dark-haired man sighed and walked towards her. He used his pale fingers to wipe her face off. “We will finish our discussion later. We need to go see the baby.”

 

* * *

 

“Keep your voice down! What?”

 

“You're not naming her Black!”

 

“I'm not.”

 

“ _Noir_?”

 

Nel sighed and focused her eyes back on their daughter. This was the exact reason why she did not want to tell Grimmjow about the name she had picked out. “This is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you wouldn't like it.”

 

“Bazzard _Black_? Vain _Black_ Jaegerjaquez? Of course, I don't like it!” Grimmjow was looking at Nel like she was insane. “You can't say that wasn't intentional, Nel.”

 

“Okay, this is clearly the wrong time to have this conversation. Can you hand me a diaper so I can change her?” Nel asked.

 

The man pushed himself off the bed and grabbed a diaper and a package of wipes off of the bassinet the clinic had provided. Grimmjow handed them to Nel. She accepted them. Unlatching the baby from her breast and then pulling her shirt back up, Nel laid her down and proceeded to unwrap the infant. There was some protest to this action from the tiny human.

 

Nel laughed and did some light stretches to the baby that they had been taught to do. She quickly had the baby awake again and changed her, handing the dirty diaper to Grimmjow. After all that, the baby was getting fussy again so Nel rewrapped the pink and gray receiving blanket around the child.

 

He might have been mad but Nel knew Grimmjow was watching every move she made as she continued to nurse the child on the other breast. Maybe he had an Oedipus complex. “Do you have a better idea for a name?” she asked.

 

“I just don't understand why,” he said. “I don't understand why you have to involve _him_ with _our_ child. Did he suggest this?”

 

“No, Grimmjow. _I just gave birth_. I just _pushed_ a human out of my body. Can't you just cut me some slack for _one day_?” Nel asked. She felt extremely tired all of a sudden.

 

“Tell me why.”

 

“No, Bazz didn't suggest the name. I just thought it would be a fitting thing to honor both you and him. She'll have your last name, what does it matter?”

 

Grimmjow sighed as his phone rang. He picked up the device from the tray table and Nel saw it was Ulquiorra calling. He declined the call and sent a quick text to the man. “Vain Noir Jaegerjaquez. People are going to think I'm a fucking fool.”

 

Nel sighed. “Do you have a better idea?”

 

The blue head of hair shook back and forth. “Don't you think you should tell Bazz before you officially name her? He might object to it.”

 

“I doubt he would.”

 

“He should be calling soon,” Grimmjow said. “I'll make you a deal, Nel. You can name her this but I want just one more chance to have a kid with you again. It can be like five or ten years down the road but I want this to happen again.”

 

Nel chewed her bottom lip and then looked down at her daughter who had fallen asleep. She covered herself up again and carefully put the baby on her shoulder. She started patting the infant's back. The tiniest burp came from the girl. The teal-haired woman carefully scooted to the edge of the bed. Grimmjow stopped her.

  
“What are you doing?”

 

“Putting her in the bassinet,” Nel explained.

 

“Are you sure you should be up?”

 

“For fuck sakes, Grimmjow,” she breathed. “Do you want to put her in the bassinet?”

 

He frowned. “Can't we get a nurse to help us?”

 

* * *

 

Somehow, they got Vain into her bassinet. Nel showed Grimmjow how to hold the child but he was scared as hell about dropping the girl. Once he was comfortable that the baby was safe, he turned and looked at Nel. She was laying on the bed with her eyes closed. She had just gone through an ordeal and here he was giving her shit all over a damn name.

 

He had asked for a French name. He got it.

  
Grimmjow shuffled over to the woman and kissed her forehead and then lips. “I'm going to get some breakfast and then maybe go home to get a change of clothes. I should take a shower. You going to be okay without me here?”

 

“We will be fine, Grimmjow. You don't need to stay here. Besides,” Nel murmured in a sleepy voice. “I think the nurses are frowning upon you being here.”

 

He chuckled. As far as he was concerned, the staff in this place could go fuck themselves. He didn't appreciate them telling Nel to hush when she was pushing. He didn't appreciate them telling her that she didn't need the pain medicine. “Ulq and Orihime should be here soon. If you're asleep, I'm sure they'll come back later. I'll make those phone calls while I'm gone.”

 

The woman nodded and covered herself with the blanket the clinic provided. It didn't take but several minutes for her breathing to even out. Grimmjow knew she was asleep. He walked past the bassinet again to check on his daughter who was also asleep then left the room, making his way to the elevators.

 

When the doors opened to the lobby he was surprised to find Ulquiorra and Orihime standing on the other side. Ulquiorra's face was blank while Orihime looked miserable. “Hey,” Grimmjow said. “Everything okay?”

 

“Kurosaki paid a visit to the house this morning. He and Orihime broke up,” Ulquiorra said.

 

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend, knowing there was more to this story. He'd seen the two when they thought they were alone. He'd seen the touching and the kissing. He heard the words they said to each other. It was cute how lovable they were when no one was around but out in public they remained indifferent to each other.

 

“Guess you two can go public now, huh?”

 

The dark-haired man looked unimpressed while Orihime glared at him slightly. “Is the baby here?” she asked.

 

“Yes, she was born at six A.M. Nel spent twenty-three hours in labor. She and Vain are sleeping right now.”

 

“ _Vain_?”

 

“Yes, Vain.”

 

“That's a strange name. Why didn't you guys go with something more traditional?” Orihime commented. “I think with a name like that she'll be ridiculed.”

 

Grimmjow snorted. “You should ask Nel. I asked for a French name. I got it. If you guys want to come back later, I'll text you when they're awake.”

 

“I'll go up, you two can go do whatever,” Orihime said, getting into the elevator. The doors closed and the men stood in the lobby of the clinic.

 

The tall man sighed. “I'm hungry, want to get some ramen or something?”

 

Ulquiorra shrugged. “He caught us this morning.”

 

“I figured. Were you two going at it or what?”

 

“I was shirtless and kissing her like my life depended on it,” he replied. “I was going to give into her.”

 

Grimmjow was getting into his car when his phone rang again. This time it was Kenpachi calling.

 

“Hello?” Grimmjow said.

 

“Grimmjow, bring Cifer, Nel, and Orihime with you.”

 

“Uh, I kind of can't bring Nel. She just had a baby this morning.”

 

“Shit. I'll send Retsu up there then. She's at the women's clinic, right?”

 

“Yeah,” he replied. Grimmjow furrowed his brow. Why would Kenpachi be sending his woman over to the clinic? “What's going on?”

 

“Aizen has declared war.”

 


	14. Three Ears for Pineapple Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenpachi meets with Aizen. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow run into the realities that the Yakuza deal with. Bazz calls Nel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.

Ulquiorra was on the phone with Orihime. “We're going to Kenpachi's dojo. Retsu should be there soon.”

 

“Why Retsu?”

 

“I don't know, Orihime. Just stay in Nel's room,” he said. “When we get more information, I will let you know. All he said was Aizen declared war. I have no clue what that means. I'm kind of new to this whole Yakuza gangster thing!”

 

“You're not a gangster,” Orihime whispered, her voice harsh.

 

He was agitated. He didn't know what the fuck was going on and paranoia was starting to kick in. This was like waiting for Aizen to come get him the first time but worse because he knew what was coming.

 

Blood and war loomed ahead. Death and destruction were hurtling towards them. It was all because he pulled the trigger. He ran a hand through his hair. “I'll call you when I get done with his. I lo—”

 

“I know you do. Just be careful.”

 

With a sigh, he ended the call and looked at Grimmjow who was frowning at his phone. “What?”

 

“All I fucking wanted was one day where shit wasn't so goddamn awful! I've got a kid to think about now and how the fuck am I supposed to protect her?” Grimmjow snapped. “This is a shitty world to bring a kid into. It's really, really shitty.”

 

“The world has always been a shitty place to bring children into,” Ulquiorra said. He had thought the same thing about a month ago when he was trying to kill himself with a bottle of vodka. “We should probably get going to this meeting.”

 

Grimmjow scoffed. “How can I leave Nel and my daughter here and not be a nervous wreck?”

 

“Would you prefer taking my car?”

 

The blue-haired man nodded. “Right now I couldn't drive. I'd—”

 

Ulquiorra opened his door and got out. He walked several rows over to where his car was and opened the door. Grimmjow wasn't far behind him. He sighed then started the car.

 

He felt like this was going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

Aizen had picked an upscale Yakuza bar which was almost empty at this time of day. He sat across from Kenpachi Zaraki with a very unimpressed look on his face. There were three people standing behind the man. The brown-haired man did not like any of them. 

 

Byakuya Kuchiki with his snobby attitude and haughty manner. The man refused a high position under Aizen.

 

Retsu Unohana who was a brutal fighter and Aizen had the woman under his thumb until Kenpachi came along. The two of them had cut the former Nikko warlord down and taken his throne along with half of the Togichi Prefecture.

 

Chojiro Sasakibe with his graying hair and Western attitude. The man didn't fight but he seemed to be one of Kenpachi's most trusted people.

 

Aizen had only brought Tosen to this meeting. The black man was standing behind Aizen with his arms clasped in front of him, standing silently with his sunglasses perched on his face. The man would be studying those four faces intently.

 

“What'dya want Aizen? Why bring me to _this_ place? I hate wearing fucking suits. My people have better places to be.”

 

The brown-haired man inclined his head slightly and Tosen handed him an envelope. Aizen put this envelope on the table.

 

The man with spikes for hair reached forward and snatched the envelope. “What's this?” he asked before opening it.

 

Aizen smiled as the man's eyes grew wide. Inside the envelope were eight different pictures showing four people. There were four pictures of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Nelliel Tu, Orihime Inoue, and Ulquiorra having sex together.

 

The other four pictures were recent photos of them. Grimmjow was joking around with a black man. Nelliel was shown talking on her cellphone while in front of Candy Ink. Orihime was biting her lip as she stood outside of a local bakery. Ulquiorra was walking in front of the university in Utsunomiya.

 

“I am so fucking glad that Don did not come today,” Kenpachi sighed and handed the pictures to the woman to his right. “So four random people having sex, what about it?”

 

“Nelliel Tu has been linked to Bazz. Orihime Inoue's name was all over my papers my son had in that warehouse in Utsunomiya. She is the lover of Ulquiorra Cifer, who is _supposed_ to be dead,” Aizen said calmly. His smile was smug. He leaned back in the chair and steepled his fingers. “I have sources that say that Tsukishima was shot by a short man. The height would be approximately five-feet-six-inches tall. Take a guess at which one of those individuals are five-feet-six-inches tall?”

 

“I dunno. Why do you think I know who these people are?”

 

Aizen grinned momentarily. “Nelliel Tu is Dondochakka Birstanne's step-daughter. Funny that should skip your mind since he is your right-hand man.”

 

“Was, he's phasing out of the business,” Kenpachi said as if to correct Aizen.

 

“It's also funny that you don't know who Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez is considering you assaulted the boy several years ago for his transgressions against your daughter, Yachiru.”

 

Kenpachi shrugged. “What do you want with them?”

 

“Deliver them to my business,” Aizen replied.

 

“If I refuse?”

 

“Complete liquidation.”

 

“Heh, now you're talking. A fight,” Kenpachi said, amused. “It's been a while since we've been involved in a good old fashion Yakuza war.”

 

“Not a war, I'm talking about a complete annihilation of your faction and offspring and then I will move into the Nikko area to expand my empire,” Aizen replied with confidence.

 

Kenpachi looked up at the woman who inclined her head slightly. The big man stood and looked down at Aizen. “Have a nice day, Aizen. Go fuck yourself while you're at it,” the man said and walked away.

 

Aizen sat there staring at Kenpachi's contingent with a loathsome expression. He did not like how cocky the man would and could be. It was time to knock him down a peg or two.

 

“Tosen?”

 

“Sir?”

 

“I don't think Kenpachi heard me clear enough... Do you think we could send him an ear or two?”

 

“Would three do the trick, sir?”

 

* * *

 

When the two males got inside the dojo, it was utter chaos. There was a man screaming and people running around. A trail of blood was on the floor. Grimmjow saw Unohana calmly lean over someone. Kenpachi was pacing angrily, shouting at anyone who came near him.

 

The door opened behind them and Grimmjow turned to see a distraught Yumichika fly through the door. The effeminate man hurried over to where Unohana was standing. That's when Kenpachi noticed them.

 

It didn't take many steps for Kenpachi to reach Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. “You two took your time getting over here,” Kenpachi snapped.

 

“Why isn't Retsu with Nel?”

 

“Because Ikkaku came in here without an ear and Chojiro is missing! I'm sorry. Your woman's security is a little low on my list of priorities,” the man said.

 

Grimmjow looked at the man, feeling worried. “You said Aizen declared war,” he stated. “What did you mean?”

 

“It means shit is gonna hit the fan and no one is safe. Look, Aizen knows Cifer is alive. He has recent pictures of him. He knows who each and every one of you are,” Kenpachi said. “He showed us pictures of a certain party you all had with each other.”

 

“What?”

 

“Toshiro found stuff on Bazz's laptop that showed video feeds from your house. We watched you guys walk around and—”

 

“Are you saying you spied on us?” Ulquiorra asked.

 

“No! We took down the cameras when no one was home. They were all outside of your house attached to trees and the eaves of the roof. If Bazz was spying on—”

 

“It wouldn't have been Bazz doing the spying,” Grimmjow said. “It was probably that dick, Tsukishima!”

 

“How do you know this, Grimmjow?”

 

The blue-haired man didn't say anything. There was no way that he was going to tell the man the nature of his and Bazz's relationship.

 

“I don't think Bazz would spy on us,” Ulquiorra commented. “He was around Nel for several months. Why spy when he could see her whenever?”

 

“Hmmm, good point.”

 

“How are we supposed to fight a Yakuza war?” Grimmjow asked. “We're not even Yakuza.”

 

Kenpachi looked over at Grimmjow and the man didn't like the expression. “Pineapple season is upon us!” boomed the man's voice.

 

There were several cheers and yells from behind the man. The two men who had just arrived looked confused. How did gangsters fight wars with fruit?

 

“You two are idiots. We use hand grenades, bombs, guns, and sometimes katanas; hand to hand combat. Toshiro got us some drones. Aizen went too far. Ikkaku's injury... I still don't know where the fuck Chojiro is...”

 

Kenpachi would have kept talking but the door to the dojo opened and a teenager stood, holding a box. Grimmjow turned around and eyed the kid warily.

 

“Don! Byakuya! Retsu!” the big man called out. The box was taken from the teen and Kenpachi had the boy by the shirt. “Who sent you?”

 

“I don't know a guy paid me fifty-thousand yen to deliver that box!”

 

“You don't know what this guy looked like?”

 

“A black guy! He was telling me I was doing the work of justice,” the male said. To Grimmjow, it was obvious that the kid was scared.

 

Grimmjow quickly looked back at the three gangsters who had opened the box by lifting the white lid. Dondachakka had turned white. Byakuya's head was bowed. Retsu looked at her lover with some kind of meaningful expression that he couldn't decipher.

 

“Get the hell out of here, kid.”

 

“Tosen,” Retsu said as Kenpachi approached the group. Both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra followed him.

 

Grimmjow got a look in the box before he turned and swung Ulquiorra away from the sight. He almost emptied his stomach of its contents. Inside the box was a bloody head. “I need to call Nel,” he told the dark-haired man.

 

“Grimmjow, this isn't the time to start panicking.”

 

“Tch, this is the perfect time to start panicking!” The blue-haired man buried his face in his hands and gave a grunt of frustration. “I'm supposed to be doing this daddy thing and then practicing with Zom this weekend so we can get shit down to start recording. Aizen wants to send people heads.”

 

He was scared out of his mind at that moment. All Grimmjow could think about was protecting Nel and his daughter.

 

* * *

 

Orihime was sitting in Nel's private room at the clinic, rubbing her belly, and listening to the sounds of the woman and child breathing. This was peaceful. Too bad the atmosphere outside the room was one of chaos. Ulquiorra called her just a few seconds after she got into the room. He told her what was going on.

 

What was going to happen now?

 

She must have sat there for three hours, watching television and checking her phone. There were little grunts and noises coming from the bassinet. At the first little cry that sounded, Orihime was on her feet and looking down at the baby.

 

Nel was also on her feet. She looked alarmed though.

 

“You okay Nel?” Orihime asked.

 

“Yeah, I just heard her and... I'll be right back,” the teal-haired woman said heading for the bathroom.

 

The redhead raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she picked the baby up and settled the child into her arms. When Nel came back she looked more awake and settled herself on the bed again. The new mother motioned for Orihime to hand her the baby.

 

Orihime was glad to hand the child over. She turned around and placed a diaper and the package of wipes on Nel's tray table. The redhead had been taking parenting classes online instead of coming to the clinic to participate in them. It involved watching a lot of videos. The instructor had said every time an infant woke up or fed, they would need to be changed.

 

“So how was it?” Orihime asked as Nel was massaging the baby. The little girl protested this by squawking.

 

“It was hell,” Nel replied after she had changed the baby and was now nursing her. The woman didn't look embarrassed. “All I can tell you is don't focus on the pain. You're gonna get mad at Ulquiorra. Totally normal. Eat while you can when you're in labor,” the woman advised. "You're going to need your strength."

 

In several weeks, Orihime would be in the same boat as Nel. She was scared but this is what she had signed up for. Another part of she was scared about was the whole having a baby while being dirt poor. She didn't have a job. She wasn't going to school. As soon as she had withdrawn from the university, the money from her aunt stopped coming. She knew that she could always go to Ulquiorra if she needed something but Orihime didn't want to be that woman who had to depend on a man for everything. She had tried to get a job at a local bakery but the owner told her to come back when she wasn't pregnant.

 

The redhead couldn't help remember the words of the Yakuza therapist. It was true that Orihime was a product of an abusive home life. Her parents had been terrible people. She was deathly afraid of the fact that in order to make ends meet, she would have to resort to what her mother did for a living. The prospect of sleeping with random strangers for money didn't seem appealing.

 

Orihime smiled as she slipped on that mask that was the bubbly and cheerful version of herself. She chuckled. “She's absolutely beautiful. Grimmjow said her name was Vain?”

 

Nel nodded, “Vain Noir Jaegerjaquez. Grimmjow wanted a French name. I don't know how much more French I could go without resorting to a name everyone else has. Has Grimmjow been back?”

 

“No, he and Ulquiorra had to go to Kenpachi's. Aizen—” Orihime became quiet as she saw Nel's face. She had to tell her the news. “Aizen has declared war.”

 

It was right then, Nel's phone rang.

 

* * *

 

“Bazz?”

 

“Hey, do we have a baby?” the red-haired man asked excitedly. He hadn't got much sleep because he kept worrying about Nel and the entire situation.

 

“Yeah, she's been here since six this morning. Bazz, your father has declared war on the Nikko faction.”

 

“What?”

 

His heart dropped and his throat got dry. What had Nel said? Had she really said his father had declared war? Bazz's eyes went wide and he could feel his heart beating wildly. “What do you mean my dad has declared war on the Nikko faction?”

 

“Orihime told me. Kenpachi called Grimmjow to come to the dojo because Aizen declared war. What does that mean?” The woman on the other end of the line asked.

 

Shit. Shit. Shit. This was bad. This was really fucking bad. If his father did declare war it could only mean two things. One, he knew Bazz was lying and that Cifer had shot Tsukishima or he was fed up with everything and needed to satisfy his bloodlust. His eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “It means he's tired of playing this game. My father is not dumb, Nel. He's probably figured it out. He's going to start killing people.”

 

“What do we do?”

 

“You just had a baby, you don't need to do shit. Grimmjow needs to get you out of there. Do you have family anywhere else in the country?”

 

“I think my mom still has family in Osaka. She's never talked about them,” Nel replied. “Bazz...”

 

“What Nel?” he sighed. Right now he was irritated and frightened. His woman sounded even more frightened.

 

“I named the baby.”

 

“Yeah? Good. What's her name?”

 

“Vain Noir Jaegerjaquez,” she replied.

 

Bazz didn't know what to say except Grimmjow's last name was ridiculous. The whole thing sounded foreign to him. “It sounds unique. Why do you sound apprehensive?”

 

“You don't know what the word noir means?”

 

“Uh, no.”

 

“It's French for black.”

 

“And?” Bazz's green eyes went wide. If noir was the French word for black... His surname was Black. “You named your kid... Holy shit... I bet Grimmjow lost it. Does he know?”

 

“Yeah, he's not happy with it and said if I do decide to officially name her that then I have to have another kid.”

 

Bazz chuckled. “You don't have to name her that. Pick something else. You said last night she was the only kid you were having.”

 

“I want to name her that,” Nel said. “I wish you weren't in there. I have no clue what to do in this situation.”

 

A heavy sigh came out of him. He couldn't admit that he had no clue what to do either. He was too young when the last war his father insinuated went on. “Is Grimm around?”

 

“No, he's still at Kenpachi's. Why?”

 

“I'll use my next call to talk to him. Look, Nel... Maybe I can get out of here. I'm sure there has to be some way for me to—”

 

She interrupted him. “Are you stupid? Are you talking about breaking out of there?”

 

“I want to see you. I want to touch you. I cannot stand this anymore, Baby. You don't know what it's like to be in here and experience the shit I have already!” Bazz said angrily. “I know I can get out of here.”

 

“Don't you dare, Bazzard.”

 

“Dammit, Nel. You—”

 

The call disconnected and Bazz threw the phone receiver at the wall. Immediately, in his peripheral vision, he saw two guards flanking either side of him. His vision slid from side to side trying to gauge each man's moves. In the end, Bazz did nothing although he wanted to tear these assholes apart with his hands.

 

He knew he could escape. He knew he was smart enough to think of a plan to get the hell out of there.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anberlin - Paperthin Hymn  
> Avenged Sevenfold - This Means War  
> FFDP - Wrong Side of Heaven  
> K.Flay - Black Wave  
> Smashing Pumpkin - Bodies  
> Shiro Sagisu - On the Precipice of Defeat


	15. Call To Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bazz learns his fate and what Aizen has plans. He makes a call to his father and reveals things. Aizen gets pissed. Nel and Grimmjow bring the baby home. Kenpachi responds to Aizen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER! There is a beheading!

Bazz sat in that courtroom with nine judges looking at him. He wore a suit, complete with tie. He had his mohawk trimmed down to where it was only a couple of inches long instead of being on his shoulders. He didn't stare at them. He kept his eyes pointed at the table. It was how he was going to show his remorse. Jushiro and the prosecutor were talking to the judges almost in a huddle.

 

There was no one else in the courtroom except the woman who was recording the proceedings on a strange machine and a couple of guards. He could make his escape from here. All he had to do was punch a couple of people, steal a car, and make his way to Nikko.

 

Nel would kill him when she saw him but at least he would be able to touch her. He knew once he went to an actual prison it was still going to be nothing but glass and metal between them. Grimmjow would kill him too now that he thought about it.

 

He sighed. Bazz had heard guys talk. It was nearly impossible to escape from Fuchu once you were on the other side of that smooth concrete wall that rose up separating the prison from the real world. Kurobane had triple chainlink fences. If he did escape, he was guaranteed the death penalty once he was caught again.

 

Jushiro was back at the defense table and looking grim. Bazz eyed him for a moment. “That bad?”

 

The man with white hair shook his head. “They're dropping the murder charge. They're dropping everything except the illegal possession of a firearm. You're getting seven years.”

 

“How much to get that cut down to five?”

 

“Minimum is seven years,” Jushiro said. “You could pay ten million yen to show remorse and you might not go to Fuchu.”

 

“Do it,” Bazz said. “I'm not going there to rot. I've heard stories about Fuchu and it's environment. I like Kitsuregawa. I've established myself there. Get me to Kurobane.”

 

“A detention center isn't like a prison, Bazz! You will not be shit in a prison. Break the rules the first time and you could see yourself spending a couple of years in solitary confinement,” Jushiro countered. “Your father is angry, let's not piss him off further.”

 

“Why is _Aizen_ angry?”

 

“He knows that someone else shot your brother. Someone who is short. Someone who is supposed to be dead,” the lawyer stated. “The word I've picked up is, everything that was in the house in Nikko went to the warehouse in Utsunomiya. Your father found some pictures.”

 

“Shit.”

 

“He's declared war on Nikko and Karakura. Kenpachi will not deliver Ulquiorra Cifer, Nelliel Tu, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, or Orihime Inoue. That's all Aizen wants is those four individuals.”

 

Bazz could feel a burning in his chest when his lawyer mentioned two names. Nel. Grimmjow. There was no way in hell that he would allow his father to harm Nel or Grimmjow. He had to get out of there _now_! There was no way he could protect them when he was sitting on his ass in prison.

  
“Jushiro... Shut the hell up. Get my dad on the phone,” he hissed at the white-haired man.

 

“What? Why?”

 

“Just fucking do it!”

 

* * *

 

Aizen's office was filled with grunts and groans. Maybe the occasional moan when his hand wasn't over his secretary's mouth silencing her. Momo knew better than to make a sound though.

  
He had the small brunette bent over his desk, one of her knees propped on the desk. Aizen was fucking her hard and fast. For being an older man, he had quite the libido. It wasn't anything like when he was in his twenties but still, he could make women scream.

 

Momo was a cute thing if a bit naive about her boss and her workplace. She was obedient. She was dumb enough to believe every word that came out of Aizen's mouth. Yes, he _loved_ her. Yes, he was _going_ to leave Tier. No, he _wasn't_ fucking around on her.

 

They were lies all of them. He didn't love her. He would never let go of Tier because the woman knew way too much about his operations and to kill her would cast too many suspicions on him. He couldn't even be faithful to his own wife so why did woman think he wouldn't be getting some action in other places. He had women for all of his demented desires.

 

The first time he fucked Momo in the ass the woman had cried the entire time. Afterward, she thanked Aizen and then spent the whole day weeping. Tier wouldn't even let him do that, so he found a bitch that did, willingly and liked it. He found a bitch that would suck every drop of come from his balls. He found a woman who had nice firm tits and would use them to jerk him off.

  
Tsukishima had confided in him that the blonde woman had been a freak in bed. Aizen didn't see it. Tier just like plain missionary sex. The woman laid on her back turned her head and waited for it all to be over. It seemed like she didn't realize the price that came with getting everything you wanted and being able to do anything.

 

Dammit, he could feel Momo's body tightening up on him. She was going to make him get off quicker than he wanted too. He was almost there when his personal cell phone rang.

  
“Fuck!” He cursed and pulled out of the woman. He picked up the device while the woman was making herself decent. She then wiped Aizen off before he zipped up his trousers. “Hello?”

 

“What the fuck makes you think you can go after my lovers; _my_ girlfriend _and my_ boyfriend? What gives you the right to decide if they live or die?”

 

_Bazzard._

 

“I see you're not calling from prison, Bazz,” Aizen said. He barely registered what the man had said. “What do you mean lovers? What girlfriend? What _boy_ friend?”

 

“Did I fucking stutter? I mean Nelliel Tu. I mean Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. What makes you think you get to decide if they live or they die? What the fuck did they do to you?”

 

“Are you saying you are—” Aizen couldn't comprehend the words he was hearing from his son's mouth. The man not only had a _girlfriend_ but a _male_ lover too? It was ridiculous! How could the red-haired man keep something like a boyfriend from him? “Bazz, I know who killed Tsukishima. I know who was there that night. You assumed that there were no guards that night. You assumed that there was no one around to watch as Cifer gunned down your brother. That woman and that man were there to witness what happened. Granz and Lindocruz admitted to watching the entire thing from the roof of the warehouse. One of the ventilation vents were open.”

 

“Big fucking deal. They didn't kill him. Tsukishima deserved it. He _was_ the same sadistic, sociopathic asshole you are,” Bazz retorted.

 

“What do you think you are, Bazzard?” the older man asked. “I will destroy anyone who was there that night, you included. The Nikko faction will be eliminated. The Karakura faction will fall. I will take over when it's all said and done. You will face your shame when you're released.”

 

“I ain't facing shit when I get out of here, Aizen.”

 

“I am _your_ father,” Aizen said, becoming more irate as he spent more time talking to Bazz. “You will address me as such. I gave you life. You will _respect_ me, Bazzard.”

 

“ _Funny_ , you don't act like it,” the man on the other end said. “I'll respect you when you act like a fucking _adult_ and not some _child_ throwing a tantrum.”

 

The line went dead and Aizen stared at the phone, his grip tightening until he could feel the thing almost give in his hand and bend slightly. “Momo, get Tosen and Kugo. _Now._ ”

 

* * *

 

A week later, Grimmjow had grabbed Nel's bag and the handle of the car seat. They just got home from the clinic. Nel couldn't wait to be in her own bed. She had been tired of those nosy nurses and the looks on their faces when Grimmjow brought something for Nel to eat or drink. They protested the strange looking couple's unconventional method where Grimmjow was always around in the private room.

 

They put themselves in a titter over Grimmjow actually taking care of the baby.

 

Nel didn't care if he was helping take care of the baby. Wasn't that what men did or were they still stuck in some version of Japan where the woman could only deal with children while the man took care of the family?

 

Fuck society and their expectations, Nel thought.

 

Grimmjow was an excellent daddy. He held the little girl and talked to her, telling her stories about her mother or fairy tales. He told her all the things she wasn't allowed to do, like date stinky boys. He changed diapers and didn't mind when the infant peed on his shirt. He grumbled about it but he admitted it was his own fault.

 

Nel had told him she wasn't done but he didn't listen. He wanted to be Super Dad.

 

He would even get up when Vain started fussing and hand her to Nel so that she could feed. The teal-haired woman told him he didn't have to do any of that.

 

Grimmjow wouldn't hear of it. He opened the car door for her and helped her out and into the house although his hands were full. Nel watched as he took the bag and car seat into the bedroom and she followed him. He was flipping up the cover and then unbuckling the straps to release the explosion of pink.

 

The blue-haired man had gotten his way and the baby was dressed in a dark pink outfit for the ride home. It made Nel shake her head the way he was smitten with the little girl.

 

“Did you want me to bring the crib in here?” He asked as he swaddled the baby in a blanket before handing her to Nel.

 

“Did you want to bring it in here? There's more than enough room. It could be roomier. We could size the bed down since we only use half of it now,” Nel said, looking around the room. She saw Grimmjow shake his head.

 

“What about the mattress?”

 

“Fair point. I guess you could bring it in here or maybe we could find a bassinet? What about a co-sleeping?”

 

Grimmjow's head shook from side to side. “I ain't doing that. She can sleep in here with us but she's too little to have in the bed.”

 

Nel nodded at that. “I guess you should get the crib. We can put my dresser next to yours and put the crib where the dresser was.”

 

“I'm going to bring the rocking chair in here too,” he said.

 

“Why don't you put it by the windows in the kitchen?” Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at her. Nel stared him. “What?”

 

“I made the chair for you to nurse in when you're awake. Why would I put it in the kitchen?”

 

“Grimm, you act like I can't leave this room. I'm not afraid of feeding her in front of other people. Everyone in this house has seen me naked,” she said. “I've had sex with everyone in this house.”

 

The man groaned in frustration and walked out of the room.

 

* * *

 

The boat rocked as the waves passed rolled underneath them. The night was black. No one would be able to see them. Being a hundred miles off the coast of Japan, Retsu Unohana stood with several of the Nikko underlings. Kenpachi stood behind her, watching with a serious expression on his face.

 

“So you're with Aizen,” he said pointing to a tiny man with purple eyes and a slim body. The man acted like he had the upper hand and a bitch after he was captured. He pointed to the taller man, “You're with Yhwach.”

 

“Why did we capture two different men from two different factions?” Retsu asked the two other men that were standing to the side. Ganju Shiba and Marechiyo Omaeda bumbled over their reply.

 

The bigger man found his words first and answered. “They were coming out of a love hotel together. We figured they both were from the Tokyo faction. We've seen the little man among Aizen's ranks.”

 

“It doesn't matter. Anyone from the Tokyo organization is an enemy at this point. It doesn't matter who their warlord is. We don't know how involved Yhwach is at this point,” Kenpachi stated. “Take their middle fingers, let's send that to Aizen then dump them.”

 

“I hope you know I am important and Aizen will get retribution for this! It is unacceptable what you've done!” The little man said. He looked very indignant as he struggled against the ropes that bound his arms behind his back.

 

“This one wants to fight,” Kenpachi said. “What's your name?”

 

“Luppi Antenor.”

 

“What about you big guy?”

 

“Cang Du.”

 

“Retsu.”

 

The woman didn't need another directive. Her katana was immediately unsheathed and swung. Two heads rolled across the wooden deck with soft thumps. The headless bodies thumped against the boards.

 

Kenpachi's face was dark as he walked up to the two men who had captured the now dead men. “Middle fingers, both of them. Four in a box. Make sure you label them correctly. Hose off the deck and then dump them both. Maybe the sharks will be hungry tonight.”

 


	16. Once in Every Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulquiorra has a new hobby. Grimmjow and Zommari get some progress done on their EP. Orihime gets the surprise of her life. Nel gives Ulquiorra some news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Chapter includes sex!

Ulquiorra didn't say anything as he put several items into the trunk of his car. Ever since his first therapy session with Unohana, she suggested finding an outlet for his anger. He had gotten into contact with Urahara and his wife.

 

Yoruichi Shihoin was a formidable woman who'd been teaching Ulquiorra how to fight. She was teaching him hand to hand combat and stealth techniques. He caught on quick. The woman then shuffled him off to her blond husband. The man was a master swordsman besides being an expert on guns. Learning how to wield the katana had been a struggle but he was close to besting the man.

 

The man had also taught Ulquiorra how to shoot a gun properly. He taught him all about firearms and how to care for them. He also was teaching him how to become a sniper. It wasn't hard work. He had to figure in a lot of factors but his shots were always on target.

 

At first, Ulquiorra refused to touch a gun because of what he did.

 

“You know if you could take down Aizen from a long distance, you would do it right?” Urahara asked, with a fan flipped in front of his face. The striped hat was pulled low over his eyes.

 

“How do you know I want to take down Aizen?” Ulquiorra asked as he polished the surface of his katana. He and the blond man had just got done with a rather physical fight.

 

He could tell the other man was smirking before the answer even came out of his mouth. “You took down his son. He ruined your life. You know you want him dead.”

 

“How are you suggesting I do this, Kisuke?”

 

The man told him. Ulquiorra vehemently refused until he saw Urahara shoot the rifle. He understood what the man was saying.

 

“You wouldn't have to be involved in the fighting. If you can take him down from a mile away; five hundred meters; even a hundred yards, it would be better than you being in the thick of things,” the candy shop owner said.

 

He stood in the business area of Urahara's business when the man told him this. No kid ever came in to buy candy. It was mostly shady looking adults who had other needs. A sweet tooth was not one of those things.

 

He slammed the trunk shut and got into the car. Once he got home and everyone was asleep, he'd take the katana along with the smooth wooden bokken and slip them into the closet in his bedroom. They'd stay there until Urahara told him it was time to train.

 

Ulquiorra was eager to go home tonight. He and Orihime never had the chance to finish the “discussion” they were having the morning Kurosaki caught them. Since Nel had the baby, all Orihime had been doing was nesting. She was cleaning everything, chatting his ear off but he didn't mind. He didn't mind it at all.

 

But he was worried that the redhead was overdoing things. Yesterday, he was helping her with the laundry when she dropped the basket, spilling a freshly folded basket of towels all over the floor. He was by her side in an instant. “Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, I'm fine. Just a sharp pain,” she said as she bent over to pick up the mess. They had refolded the towels and Ulquiorra put them away. He encouraged her to sit on the couch for the rest of the night and to relax. He even offered her his bed to sleep in because it couldn't have been good for her to sleep on that futon on the floor.

 

She accepted that offer. He climbed in next to her once she was asleep. He held her and rubbed her stomach, feeling the thumps against his hands, smiling. His son was in there. Ulquiorra had to wonder what Orihime thought about this whole thing. It wasn't something that came up though. He had taken it upon himself to prepay for all of her doctor's visits. He even paid for her to have a private room once she needed to go to the clinic to have the baby.

 

He knew he was a fool but he was a fool that was in love. He was willing to kill for Orihime. He was willing to give her space. That woman had taught him so many things over the past couple of years. He would do anything for her.

 

The words he said to her ages ago came back to his mind. He learned what jealousy and envy were. He learned what obsession and desire were. Orihime had chiseled her way into his world and his heart. He knew what love was now.

 

Ulquiorra sighed.

 

This week had already been long and tedious already. It was only Wednesday too. He thought of his upcoming plans. He was going to take Orihime to bed tonight and hopefully spend a couple of days there with her. He was going to see Bazz on Saturday.

 

He had one more week until university started.

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow and Zommari sat in the former's wood workshop. Zom had brought an acoustic guitar with him.

 

The blue-haired man sighed. “So how do you want to do this? Have you thought of anything over this past week?”

 

“I've looked over the songs but I have no idea how they sound. You've given me no speed on the drum lines. I don't know how the melodies of these songs are. You're gonna have to sing them first and play the drums to them,” Zommari stated as he got out the wooden guitar and started tuning it.

 

“Ugh,” Grimmjow groaned. Besides the whole Yakuza thing looming above his head... Being a dad was hard fucking work. He woke up whenever Vain did. He knew Nel appreciated his help; she didn't have to do much except pull up or down her shirt and feed the baby. Grimmjow pretty much took care of everything else.

 

Nel told him that he didn't need to do anything. She was perfectly capable of handling it all. Grimmjow figured the less she had to do, the faster she would heal. It was a sound plan in his mind.

 

Then there was what the woman told him. Bazz. That dumb ass was thinking of trying to escape. The likelihood of that actually happening was slim to none and even if Bazz succeeded there was the possibility that he wouldn't get far. The asshole wasn't thinking. He'd not talked to the man and always refused the call or handed his phone to Nel to answer.

 

The fact that he'd been dating his hand since Vain was born and would continue to until Nel went back to the doctor's office for a checkup and new birth control was frustrating. He knew it was selfish thinking but dammit... He didn't expect it to be this difficult to go without sex, especially since he'd been getting it regularly since he lost his virginity a while ago.

 

Tap. Tap. Tap. Zommari was hitting his forehead with a drumstick. “Hello, Grimmjow?”

 

“Sorry, I was just thinking.”

 

“Well, stop thinking and start singing. I'm going to record us so I can work on it at home,” the black man said.

 

* * *

 

“Woman,” Ulquiorra purred in her ear.

 

Orihime was washing dishes. She almost dropped the plate in her hands. She felt his fingers thread through her hair. She almost moaned as his fingers caressed the skin of her scalp. Desire ignited her nerves and she turned around in Ulquiorra's arms. She bit her lip before saying “Lover.”

 

She saw the intensity of the hunger in his eyes multiply and couldn't help smirking. It quickly disappeared as his lips covered hers and he was leaving her breathless. His lips trailed down her chin to her throat. He was sucking and biting the surface. It really reminded her of the first time his lips touched her skin inside that nightclub.

 

“ _I want you,_ ” she murmured against his ear. Her breathing hitched as he stepped back and looked at her. “I want you inside me. I want you—”

 

He picked her up and was carrying her to his room. Orihime wasn't a stranger to Ulquiorra's bedroom but this time there were different circumstances. This wasn't them just sleeping together to wake up next to each other. She wanted to feel his skin against her again.

 

Once the door was closed, he set her down, kissing her lips; pulling the fuller bottom one into his mouth, nibbling the plump flesh. She let a hand trail down between their bodies, lightly brushing against his sides. The other hand tangled in the hair at the base of his skull.

 

Her fingers reached the waist of his jeans but she didn't let her fingers dip under the fabric. Instead, she let her hand drift lower and was gently stroking his erection that was growing. Orihime heard him growl.

 

“That's what started this, do you remember?” he asked, his own hands slipping under her t-shirt. Orihime gasped as his nails dragged into the small of her back. “I said those words to you. I wanted you so much. I still want you, Orihime.”

 

Orihime's face became confused as he stepped away from her and he got down on one knee. He reached into his pocket and produced a ring. Her eyes widened. Was he—What was he doing?

 

“Woman... Orihime Inoue... I want you to be my wife. I meant to give this to you the night I was shot. It was going to be my promise to you that I would never leave your side. I don't ever want to be without you again,” Ulquiorra said, holding the ring up. “Will you marry me?”

 

Her mouth became dry and she couldn't think of what to say. There was a word she was supposed to say, right? Her eyes welled up with tears and gave a nod. Then another. “I will,” she sobbed.

 

* * *

 

“I will.”

 

That was all he needed to hear. He had her in his arms again before putting that ring he had bought long ago on her finger. Ulquiorra was kissing her again. His hands were pushing up her t-shirt and they didn't stop until she was bare-chested, her top and bra discarded on the floor.

 

He cupped her breast carefully, letting the pads of his thumbs trail over the sides and over the nipples. He guided her to the bed and as soon as she was on her back, Ulquiorra was on top of Orihime. His mouth was on her skin. Her hands were in his hair.

 

“Woman,” he breathed. “I love you.”

 

His hands reached down and grabbed her thighs, pushing them up so they could be wrapped around his waist. Then he was unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, pushing them down and off his legs.

 

“Please, Ulquiorra.”

 

“Do you want this?” He asked propping himself up on his arms. He could see her head bob up and down. “Say it, Orihime. I need to hear you.”

 

“I want you. I want this.”

 

He gave a slight smile before his hands grabbed the waistband of her leggings. With one smooth yank, he had them off of her. She was now before him in just her underwear. His hands pushed the fabric to the side, letting his fingers explore those wet folds of skin. Her body was arching off of the bed.

 

Ulquiorra remembered this. He remembered the first time he did this to her. She'd been so soft and innocent. He knew now she was nowhere near innocent and she battled her own demons in her head. She had to get through things just like everyone else.

 

He was waiting for her to whine but she didn't. She let him take his time, his fingers slipped in and out of her at his own slow pace. His thumb brushed against her clit. His green eyes searched her face; she was holding back. Orihime was biting her lip to keep from crying out. Her entire body was practically thrumming with desire.

 

“Does this feel good?”

 

She nodded several times. “I'm just trying to drag it out. Make the buildup last longer.”

 

“Do you want me to make love to you now or would you like me to continue to pleasure you? I could use my mouth,” he replied. “I could just slide down the bed and lick—”

 

She did it. There was the whine. “Just do something, I've been waiting for this for so long. Please.”

 

His hands grabbed the panties and dragged those down her legs. Ulquiorra's hips were between hers. His cock was against her body, nudging the flesh apart.

 

“Just go slow. Make it last,” she said before she licked her lips.

 

Ulquiorra's hand went between their bodies and he lined himself up. He gently pushed against her. It seemed like hours past by as he sank into her, letting her feel every inch he had. He gave a low growl once their hips met. Her hands were on his biceps, squeezing the muscles that were standing out. They went up to his shoulders, scratching the skin and making him hiss.

 

This woman knew what he liked. Pleasure with pain.

 

* * *

 

Orihime was trying to not rush things. She wanted to come so badly and she wanted him to cause this reaction but she found herself thinking about Tsukishima. She couldn't help it. Over the past week, her feelings towards him had turned from affection and warmth to anger. She had so much ill feelings towards the dead man.

 

As Ulquiorra took his time, she realized why she had fallen for the gangster's son.

 

In many aspects, Ulquiorra and Tsukishima were a lot alike. They both had put up impossibly thick walls which she was willing to scale to see the person on the other side. They both liked to take their time to explore and both paid attention to details. Nothing was overlooked.

 

But Tsukishima was not Ulquiorra. The man who kidnapped her had cared nothing for Orihime. The man who was currently rocking against her, sending delicious ripples of bliss through her body, he loved her. She knew this. She could claw and scratch Ulquiorra. She could bite him and cry out when she was being overwhelmed with pleasure.

 

His pace was slow and smooth, Ulquiorra's mouth was never far from her own. She could hear the way he panted as he denied himself an orgasm. Why did he put himself through so much?

 

The bed started to creak with the force of his thrusts. Suddenly, this slow pace felt like pure torture. It felt like heaven but she needed more. She wanted to come with him. Orihime started to move her hips with him and she saw his eyes fly open.

 

Those deep green depths were panicking because he was so close and now he wasn't in control of the situation anymore. She was going to make him come. The rhythm picked up, His hand moved slowly up the back of her thigh toward her knee. He was tucking her leg higher on his side. The position let him slide deeper into her body.

 

Orihime was becoming more vocal as they moved together. "Ulquiorra," she said in a half-whining, half-moan.

 

Her muscles were coiling with tension. Her fingers pressed deeper into Ulquiorra's shoulders. She thought that maybe if she held onto him tighter she could hold off. He was too good at fucking her. He was too good at making her experience that peak of sexual completion. The sensations went higher until Orihime could barely stand it and she let go, wave after wave of pleasure overtaking her senses.

 

She screamed out his name because it didn't feel like he was going to stop. He kept going and going, his cock sliding in and out of her. Something inside of her felt like it burst and Orihime was dragging her nails down his back.

 

It was only them did a low groan left Ulquiorra's throat and his hips stilled. She could feel him twitch inside of her. He pushed himself up, breathing fast. “We've caused a wet spot on my bed,” he said with a chuckle.

 

Orihime blushed and pushed him off of her. She sat up while Ulquiorra was off the bed and found his boxers. The redhead was staring at the white sheets, eyebrows furrowed together. “Ulquiorra.”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Look,” she stated.

 

The area that was beneath Orihime's body was tinged pink. Ulquiorra's eyes went wide. “What—I'm going to get Nel.”

 

* * *

 

Grimmjow wasn't happy when Ulquiorra slammed open the door to the bedroom. The asshole could have woke Vain or Nel up.

 

“I need Nel,” the dark-haired man said in a panicking voice.

 

“What the hell do you need with Nel? Where are your clothes?”

 

“Orihime and I were having sex,” he replied. “She's bleeding.”

 

Nel's sat up and she glared at the dark-haired man. “She's too far along to be fucking her like you did when she wasn't pregnant. You probably—”

 

“ _Ulquiorra!_ ” Orihime was screaming.

 

“Please, Nel.”

 

Grimmjow sighed as he heard the first signs of fussing the infant in the white crib began to emit. “You fuckers, we just got her to sleep.”

 

“I'll go see what's wrong with Orihime,” Nel said in an exhausted voice. Grimmjow's jaw was set in an angry expression as he watched the mother of his child scoot to the end of the bed. The teal-haired woman disappeared through the door that connected to the kitchen.

 

The man got up from the bed and walked over to the crib where he picked up the baby. “You probably just fucked her too hard,” Grimmjow said. He gently put the baby on his shoulder and patted her back. “You're being spastic, Ulq.”

 

“I'm being spastic? You're the one running around like a chicken with your head cut off,” Ulquiorra retorted.

 

“Everything will be okay.”

 

“No, everything will not be okay,” Nel said breezing back into the room. “She's in labor. Her water broke while you were having sex.”

 

“What? What do we do? He's early. He's like... I don't know how many weeks but he's early!”

 

“Spastic.”

 

“Orihime is packing some basic things for the clinic. She's trying to get a hold of her doctor. Seeing as it's after hours, she might have to go to the hospital,” Nel said.

 

Ulquiorra's mouth opened and shut. He was going spastic, Grimmjow concurred. “Nel, you're going to have to walk him through things.”

 

She rolled her eyes. Grimmjow smirked and continued to rock the baby. “I'll be back in a couple of minutes. If she's asleep put her back in her bed.”

 

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Demxntia:
> 
> \- The Words I Should Have Said  
> \- With Thoughts of You And I  
> \- I Wonder if U Feel the Same Way  
> \- Forevermore  
> \- A Hearts A Heavy Burden  
> \- Hurts Like Hell  
> \- I Don't Wanna Do This Anymore


	17. Light and Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stork visits again! Grimmjow gets a call from Bazz. There's some nefarious conversations going on. Nel gets the surprise of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Grimmjow jerks off in this chapter. Blame Bazz.

“Breathe,” Ulquiorra said to the redhead.

 

She was breathing. Orihime thought that he was just saying these things to help himself calm down. The contraction peaked and Ulquiorra was breathing with her. He looked scared out of his mind. “You're not ready for this are you?” she asked Ulquiorra.

 

The man shook his head. “He's early. I don't have time to do things... I was going to make the old entertainment room our bedroom since Nel didn't want to use it as a nursery. Grimmjow and I already talked about it. He was going to help me move my bed into there. I thought I'd be at least a couple weeks into my classes before he came.”

 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Orihime said, taking his face in between her hands. She squished his cheeks so that his mouth formed fish lips. “We're going to be okay. Everything is going to be fine.”

 

“Haw cun eww beee so dalm?” Ulquiorra said. Orihime didn't understand him so she released his face.

 

“What?”

 

“How can you be so calm?” he repeated.

 

Orihime smiled brightly. “Because you're here with me and I have other things to worry about like a wedding.”

 

* * *

 

Three hours later, Ulquiorra didn't think everything was going to be okay. Orihime kept glaring at him and he just hung his head in shame. He tried to be strong for the redhead but the woman was mad. He had read about women becoming severely emotional during times like this. They'd often send their partners scurrying out of the rooms with their words.

 

Ulquiorra was going to suffer through it. Orihime deserved that much from him. He even looked up some different ways to manage the pain of the contractions. “It says here that an orgasm can help alleviate the feeling of pain.”

 

“Do you believe everything you've read on the internet?” Orihime deadpanned. The nurses had brought the young woman some jasmine green tea and she sipped that.

 

“Do you want anything? Did you want something to eat? I can go get you some sushi, noodles, or fruit? I can get you miso soup, dumplings—”

 

“Ulquiorra, shut up. If I'm hungry, I'll ask for something,” Orihime said sharply.

 

He sighed, “I knew you were overdoing it with the whole cleaning thing. You should have let me do it.”

 

“I've been feeling things like this for a couple of days. I think had we not had sex, everything would have been fine,” she replied.

 

“I asked. You answered.”

 

Another contraction hit the woman and Ulquiorra, rubbed her lower back. He didn't know if it was helping or not but he had to try.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, lover.”

 

Grimmjow grit his teeth in frustration. The man had called and he didn't want the phone to wake up either sleeping female, so he picked his phone up and walked into the kitchen, pushing the rice paper screen to the side. He flopped on that black leather couch. “Bazz, what do you want?”

 

“To talk to you,” came the reply.

 

“I'm flattered. What?”

 

“Everything okay?”

 

That was a heavy fucking question. How could everything be okay? “Not really. Chojiro is dead. Ikkaku is missing an ear.”

 

Bazz sighed. “I think my old man might be serious about this whole business. I got sentenced. Seven years. I'll be going to Kurobane here in a few days, I think on Monday. I've put you, Nel and Vain down on my visitation sheet. Cifer's supposed to be here Saturday. I don't know why the guy wants to visit with me.”

 

“He may not come, Orihime went into labor tonight.”

 

“Fuck all of you assholes having kids,” Bazz said.

 

Grimmjow laughed. “Being a dad isn't all that glamorous. It's tiring work. I'm gonna be recording this weekend.”

 

“Pretty soon you'll be famous and have women draped all over you,” came the teasing words. “Making kids is fun though.”

 

This made the blue-haired man scoff. “I got the woman I want in life. I've got an even tinier woman who has me wrapped around her damn finger.”

 

“I hear little girls can do that to you. Okay, then you'll have men draped all over you.”

 

Silence. Grimmjow was working on a reply but he couldn't say it. It made him blush.

 

“C'mon, you can't tell me you're not curious.”

 

Fuck. He let his head drop against the cushions of the couch. His sweatpants were a bit more tented out than he would have liked. It always happened when talking to Bazz. “I never said that and don't fucking tempt me. I've got a month to go before I can have sex with Nel.”

 

“Boo hoo, you big ass baby. I've got eighty-four months before I can have sex with you, finally,” Bazz said. “Nel first then you.”

 

“You're the prison bitch.”

 

“Nine, almost ten inches.”

 

His brow wrinkled in confusion. What the hell was Bazz talking about? “What?”

 

“You asked me in the car. Remember? You asked—”

 

Grimmjow became flustered as the other man brought up their last face to face conversation. “I know what I asked you but it just seems like a random ass time to be bringing shit like that up.”

 

“I was just telling you.”

 

“And the length isn't anything without width. Nnoitra was damn near a foot long and it was skinny as a stick,” Grimmjow pointed out. He didn't believe that his dead friend had been that long but one day he whipped it out, showing both Ulquiorra and him. They all had been drunk off their asses when it happened.

 

“Let's just say Nel was tight.”

 

Silence. “I've got you and Nel. I don't need anyone else,” Grimmjow said quietly.

 

“Good boy,” came the equally quiet reply.

 

“Fuck you, Bazz.”

 

“Anytime, Sweetie. I've got to go. Thanks for giving me a case of blue balls.”

 

“Yeah, same.”

 

Grimmjow hung up and groaned. He never would understand why the fuck Bazz got under his skin. Why did the man affect him so much? He thought back to months ago when he walked into the kitchen to find Nel sitting on the countertop, breasts on display; legs opened with Bazz's face in between them. He'd eyed him just as much as he looked at her.

 

He shoved the sweatpants down and grabbed his cock, stroking the length of it. Nel didn't come to his mind when he closed his eyes. He was imagining Bazz. His other hand came up to his mouth and Grimmjow slipped two fingers into his mouth. He didn't want to think about what he was doing. He just wanted it.

 

Those fingers trailed down his body and he pushed them against the opening. He let out a low moan. His fantasy probably didn't come close to the real thing. Grimmjow wanted Bazz. He wanted Nel. It didn't take long for him to come as he was fisting his cock and fucking himself with his own hand. Afterward, he lay there, gasping for breath.

 

“That looked like it was fun.”

 

He jumped a mile off the couch to see Nel standing there, leaning against the door frame. She had her arms crossed under her chest, wearing a smile.

 

“Fuck,” Grimmjow said, his heart in his throat. He could feel his heart beating wildly. He scowled at her. “What did you want me to jerk off next to you while you were sleeping?”

 

Her smile got wider and she disappeared for a moment. Nel came back with some paper towels which she handed him. “You think I don't know why you're in the bathroom for long periods of time?”

 

The blue-haired man scoffed and wiped off his hands and stomach. “Tell your boyfriend, not to fucking get me worked up and I wouldn't do shit like this.”

 

“To me, it sounds like he's your boyfriend too.”

 

“You ain't mad, are you?” Grimmjow asked as he sat up and pulled his sweats back into place. He watched Nel shake her head. A sigh of relief came from him. The woman walked over to where he sat and she looked down at him. Grimmjow had to remind himself that she was still healing. He couldn't have sex with her. “What?”

 

Her hazel eyes took him in from his feet to his hair. She was eye fucking him. “Next time just tell me and I'll suck your cock,” Nel said in a playful manner.

 

* * *

 

Six hours of labor was all it took and Orihime was looking at her son. She could hear his loud cries as the nurses rubbed him down and did various medical stuff to him. Ulquiorra was over there supervising but there wasn't much he could do. He was fretting.

 

The nurses swaddled the baby and then handed the boy to his father. The wonder on the man's face was Orihime's entire world at that moment. He was absolutely enthralled by the infant. She had expected this because Ulquiorra had been overjoyed both times when she had been pregnant.

 

“Can I hold him?” Orihime asked.

 

“Shhhh, you're going to be around him more than I am,” Ulquiorra said then sighed. She could see the resignation on his face. Without another word, he handed the baby to her.

 

She looked at her son. He had jet black hair and a lot of it. He was looking around and turning his face from side to side. He was a quiet baby. She felt Ulquiorra's hand on her face and she looked up at him. He kissed her in a very sweet manner.

 

“Thank you, Woman. I will leave you two. I've got to call my mother and Grimmjow,” he said quietly.

  
Orihime pouted but she understood what he was doing. He was giving her privacy to get acquainted with the child. Unlike Grimmjow, Ulquiorra respected the unspoken rules of the clinic. It was his duty as a father to take care of the mother and child. It was the mother's duty to rest and enjoy the pampering.

 

“Ulquiorra?” Orihime said before he reached the door.

 

“Yes?”

 

If felt like something had completely changed inside the man. She didn't know how to react to his gratitude. She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to leave. That he didn't have to go anywhere. He could stay here with her. “You'll come back, right?” she finally said.

 

He nodded. “Of course, Orihime.”

 

* * *

 

Click.

 

Rrrrrrrrrring.

 

Rrrrrrring.

 

The phone was dialing the number pressed into the phone. It seemed like ages before anyone answered.

 

Click.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I'll do it.”

 

“You will?”

 

“I _said_ I'll do it.”

 

* * *

 

Nel was sitting on top of Grimmjow when the blue-haired man's phone beeped. It was a text from Ulquiorra.

 

_\- Baby is here. Born a couple minutes past midnight._

 

They'd been kissing and fondling each other, careful not to get too excited but this was nice to have just a minute to be adults rather than parents. They had ordered pizza to eat because Nel was tired of noodles and scrambled eggs.

 

Grimmjow apologized for not being more proficient in the kitchen.

  
  
“You're silly. It's fine. You should learn how to make more than that stuff though. What if I have to leave or something? You'll die of starvation,” she teased.

 

“I'd follow you to the ends of the earth then,” he replied.

 

Nel practically melted in his arms at that statement. Just as she reached between their bodies to caress him, a sharp cry pierced the air.

 

“Fuck,” Grimmjow cursed.

 

The woman sighed. “We'll have more time like this. I promise, Grimmjow.”

 

Nel got off his lap and glanced down to see that indeed, Grimmjow was hard. As much as she wanted him, she knew it was a very bad idea. They had time. They both had to be patient though. She was still healing from giving birth; they had nothing in the way of birth control and she had a baby to feed.

 

She went into the bedroom and picked the infant up from her bed. Nel had learned how to change a diaper quickly after Vain peed on her the other day. After the baby was changed, Nel sat in the rocking chair and proceeded to nurse. She looked out the window, rocking back and forth.

 

Grimmjow walked by the bedroom door with their dishes and put them in the sink. She heard him open the refrigerator and place the pizza box inside. She fully expected him to come into the bedroom and watch her but she heard water running. The dishes were clinking together.

 

Nel stopped rocking and got up from the chair, walking the few steps to the kitchen door and poked her head around. Her mouth dropped open. He was doing dishes.

 

Grimmjow was doing dishes. Never in all the years that she had known him had she ever seen him—well no, that wasn't correct when he lived by himself after his mother kicked him to the curb he washed his own dishes but since she had lived with him, Nel had never seen it.

 

She crept quietly back to the rocking chair and sat down, putting the child on her shoulder to burp her.

 

“You ain't slick.” Her head came up and she looked at Grimmjow, who was drying his hands off. “I saw you being nosy.”

 

“You look sexy when being domesticated,” Nel smirked. After the little girl burped, the teal-haired woman watched as the girl slept for a few minutes. Grimmjow moved so he was sitting on the bed close to her. It was nice and quiet and peaceful. It didn't seem like a single thing was going to go wrong.

 

“Nel?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Marry me,” he said.

 

* * *

 

Aizen was very unimpressed as he opened the box with the four fingers in it. He called Yhwach and even told the man that one of his own had been taken from him. It pissed him off. Didn't Kenpachi understand? He killed one of his most trusted advisers. The only thing he had to do was keep cutting away at the man's people and he would fall.

 

He looked up at Tosen and then the other man standing in the room. “Kugo, I think it's time we let them fly. I don't want it to look like an accident either. I want it bloody and I want it messy.”

 

The silent man with slicked-back black hair nodded his head and left Aizen's office.

 

“Tosen... I want these people gone,” Aizen said pushing a piece of paper towards the man.

 

“It is done.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jerks ruin things for everyone else.


	18. Boom, Boom, Boom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More murders. We find out baby Cifer's? ... Baby Inoue's?... Aww hell, who knows... We find out the new baby's name. Kenpachi has a surprise for Aizen. Bazz still doesn't like Ulquiorra. Aizen gives new orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Character hat came back! I also tweaked the Japanese prisoner system. Kurobane Prison is mostly for elderly convicts but it's my world and I can change things to suit my needs. Also, I tweaked the visitation/phone thing. Japanese convicts are classified by tiers. Class I - IV. One is your basic criminal and can be rehabilitated into society. IV's are violent offenders, murderers and death row ppl. They get treated like shit. I've talked to several people who have been incarcerated in Japan (while doing research for this fic) and they've all said the same thing... The Japanese prison system isn't to be fucked with. You don't want to go back. They pretty much set you on the straight and narrow. The racism that runs rampant in the prison system will not be a big factor in this.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stood in Kenpachi's dojo two days later after the birth of the new baby. There'd been another attack on the Nikko and Karakura Yakuza factions. Aizen even targeted the Utsunomiya faction this time.

 

The victim list wasn't long. Oetsu Nimaiya was shot in the chest several times. Ichibe Hyosube's car had been rigged with a bomb. Both of them had been from the Nikko organization. Riku Togakushi of Karakura and Senjumaru Shutara from Utsunomiya had been victims of drive-by shootings.

 

He could feel Urahara's eyes on him the entire time, although the man's striped hat was pulled low over his eyes. Ulquiorra refrained from staring in the other man's direction. What did the man want now?

 

Finally, his green eyes scowled in the blond man's direction. The man smirked.

 

After the meeting was dismissed, Ulquiorra was in his car. He made sure he was parked almost five minutes away from the building because he didn't want to have to scout his car for explosives or sit around like a duck waiting to be shot by a hunter.

 

When he started the car and drove off his phone rang. Ulquiorra looked at the screen and sighed. He dismissed the call. He wasn't talking right now. Orihime had asked for some steamed buns with red bean paste and some cheese. He'd call Urahara back after he did this task.

 

* * *

 

Orihime smiled as Ulquiorra came into her clinic room. He didn't look happy though. “Are you okay, Ulquiorra?”

 

“I am fine, Orihime. There is a lot going on,” he said in a monotone voice. His face was blank as a stone.

 

“I heard from the news program that there was some kind of bomb that went off and shootings this past week,” she said quietly.

 

The man scoffed. She frowned. “Don't be stupid. Those were attacks on our base from Aizen. The man retaliated.”

 

Orihime's brow furrowed. What did he mean _our_ base? Was he actually considering himself to be one of those Yakuza? Was he a gangster now? He must have sensed her turmoil.

 

“Those people are putting their lives on the line to protect us. They are our allies. Kenpachi could have easily given us up,” he explained. She watched as the man went over to the bassinet and picked up the sleeping baby. He was gentle as he cradled the infant to his chest and walked over to the chair that was in the room. He positioned the baby just so and stared down at him.

 

The redhead looked at him lovingly. The doctors had told her the baby was full term and she had argued that he was at least three weeks early.

 

“What is my son's name?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow, “Were you daydreaming again? I asked, what is my son's name?”

 

“Oh, um, well, he won't be named for another three days,” she said but she couldn't remember. “Or is it four days?”

 

“Orihime, that's Tuesday or Wednesday. My classes start Monday.”

 

The woman pouted. She looked hurt. She totally expected Ulquiorra to skip classes to be with them. It looked like that wasn't going to happen. “You're serious about this whole university thing?”

 

“I want to give you a better life, I don't want people to look down on me just because of a profession. I'm not going to be coming in tomorrow,” Ulquiorra said.

 

Confusion racked her face. Why would he not come in to see her or his son? “What will you be doing?”

 

“I'm going to see Bazz remember?”

 

“I just had a baby, don't you think you can cancel your plans?”

 

He sighed and rubbed the infant's back. “Look Orihime, shit is about to go down. This war is about to happen and I will not have you or him harmed. I'm sending the two of you to my mother's house. She lives in Maebashi. After all this is over with, I will be there to get you. I want to know my son's name. If you've not thought of one could we name him Mateo after my father?”

 

Orihime bit her lip and sighed. “Noboru,” she said quietly. “It means rise or ascend.”

 

“Can we use Mateo as a middle name? He will have my last name, correct?”

 

“A Japanese-Spanish-Slovakian name? That seems complicated,” she complained.

 

“What? Were you going to give him your last name?”

 

“We're not married yet. I didn't want to get my hopes up,” she replied and looked away from him. Orihime wasn't going to say any more on the matter because she didn't want to start an argument with him.

 

“Just tell me when you want to get married and we will do it,” Ulquiorra stated.

 

* * *

 

Kenpachi was looking down at the heads of Jin Kariya's gang. Both Retsu and Byakuya were cleaning off their katanas. The assholes hadn't put up much of a fight either. The three of them walked into the hideout, guns were drawn. The tall man fired off shots and whoever didn't get a bullet in the head lost it.

 

“Shall we leave them here?”

 

“We should,” Kenpachi responded. “Ain't no one gives a shit about Kariya's group. Ichinose and Koga aren't even around anymore. Aizen did away with them years ago for their defiance.”

 

“Isn't Kariya's group the one that supplies Aizen with those shrapnel bombs?” Byakuya asked. “He will figure it out when he does not get a shipment of them in.”

 

Kenpachi shrugged his shoulders. “Ask me if I give a fuck,” he grinned. “Let's go. My skin's crawling from being in Northern Tokyo.”

 

* * *

 

Bazz looked at the dark-haired man. Ulquiorra hadn't changed much from the last time that he had seen him. The shadows under his eyes were darker. The man's eyes appeared more haunted. The guy looked fucking exhausted.

 

They sat there staring at each other for a good five minutes before Bazz picked up the phone receiver. “You know, if I want to listen to someone breathe heavily into a phone, I could have called Grimmjow. You don't do a thing for me, Cifer.”

 

Those murky green eyes blinked slowly several times. “I... I... I want to thank you.”

 

“Thank me?”

 

The head of black hair nodded. “I should be where you are. Nel resents me because you sacrificed yourself.”

 

“I fucked your woman and made her come on my dick. I'm merely paying the bill for that,” Bazz replied. He could see how Ulquiorra's already pale hand gripped the phone tighter.

 

He nodded stiffly as if understanding Bazz's words. “I suppose. I also want to thank you because I saw my son being born and I asked Orihime to marry me. If I was sitting in your spot—”

 

“You wouldn't be. You'd be in the Tokyo Detention Center with a death penalty sentence,” the man with pale green eyes said. It was fucking killing him inside. He had made a stupid decision and he should have ran with everyone else. Why the fuck did he think he could play the goddamn hero? Bazz shook his head and ran his hands over his head. His hair was growing in and it pissed him off. He had chopped it a couple of days after his trial. “All you fucking people getting married and having kids. I'm fucking stuck in here. You're lucky, Cifer.”

 

“I'm going to end this war.”

 

Bazz raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “You think you are. You've got a rude awakening coming, man. Aizen isn't going to play around for long. I know him. He's ruthless when it comes to shit he wants. He didn't play around when he wanted Tier from Tsu. Tsukishima gave up his woman or he faced death. That's the kind of man Aizen is. It's his way or you die. He hasn't played around since I was able to understand what was going on around me.”

 

“I will kill him.”

 

“Dude, you're playing with fucking fire and don't be surprised when you get burned,” Bazz replied, giving Ulquiorra a serious look. “You are fucking stupid. Take your woman and your kid then run.”

 

“Would you give Nel and Grimmjow this same advice?”

 

“Fuck you, Cifer.”

 

* * *

 

Bazz said nothing as four guards escorted him into the Kurobane Prisoner Intake Building Monday morning. He was given a physical and a shower. His head was shaved again. The officials said it was to exterminate lice and other vermin.

 

He shrugged. He kept his shit clean. He didn't argue. He knew better.

 

They asked questions. He answered. They escorted him to a part of the prison and he was surprised as he was led into a room with about thirty inmates who wore olive green uniforms of prisoners.  
  
A man in a business suit and a bald head went to the front of the room. He looked older than a dinosaur but stood upright. “Listen up!” His voice was loud. I am Warden Yamamoto! You all are class one offenders. This means your crimes against our great nation were not of any impact. The only thing they impacted was your life. You will be rehabilitated throughout your incarceration! There is a forty hour work week that is mandatory! You're allowed an unlimited amount of letters and up to eight phone calls a day. You may have ten books in your cell at a time. Visitation is thirty minutes a week in the open visitation room.”

 

Bazz's eyebrows furrowed as he heard the man speak. He was a class one offender? Did that mean he—He got the lowest punishment that he could? Was this what that ten million yen went to? He had to talk with Jushiro. He could call Nel... Nel... If he got visitation in the open visitation room that meant he could touch her!

 

“You will exercise thirty minutes every day. You will get to bathe three times a week. If you disobey the rules, the guards, the assistant wardens, or me you will face the consequences. We will take away everything from you then put you in solitary. Solitary is not fun my friends. It's a dark room in the basement of this facility. I'm the one who decides how long you get to rot down there. I'm getting old with age; I could forget about you entirely.”

 

Bazz's eyes darted around. Could the old man do that?

 

“Guards, separate the prisoners! Japanese on one side and foreigners on the other!”

 

He fully expected to go to the Japanese side of the room but was shocked when he was pushed towards the nine men who stood on the other side of the room. He opened his mouth to argue with the guard but one of the men shook their head.

 

The green eye man understood. He didn't look Japanese, although his father was. Just because he could speak it and write it didn't mean he was Japanese. He didn't look like he was _Japanese_ to them.

 

The ten men were shuffled out of the room and lead down several halls. Doors buzzed and gates clanged between sections of the trek. He had expected the prison to be dirty but it was exceptionally clean. There were a group of guards up ahead and soon Bazz had one of the brown-clad men standing next to him.

 

What was this?

 

“Roll call is in the morning at seven. You will get lunch _by_ one. Dinner is at six,” said one of the guards as they filed into a closed off hallway. “You will meet with someone who will determine which area you will be rehabilitated in. You are to make sure your cells are spotless. Beds are to be made. If you have money on your books, you will be able to purchase items. Evening roll call is at nine P.M. Lights are out at nine-thirty.”

 

Bazz was then shoved into a narrow room that had a single bed in it. He had a desk, chair, a single bookshelf, a toilet, and a sink. That's how his life began inside Kurobane's walls.

 

* * *

 

Aizen was extremely angry at this point with the Nikko faction. Kariya was supposed to deliver a shipment of special bombs and nothing had come up. No merchandise had been delivered. No call from the rejects known as the Bounts.

 

He sent Tosen to their hole in the wall hideout. Tosen came back and looked shaken. Nothing could do that to his right-hand man. _Nothing._ The black man told him what he had seen. He showed Aizen the pictures.

The brown-haired man's lip curled into a sneer. They'd been dead for at least a week.

 

Aizen sat in his office and he seethed in a pool of growing hatred. He looked at the men standing in front of him. “They obviously want a war. They're going to get it. Send the head of Jaegerjaquez. I want more fruit to fly. I want more casualties.”

 


	19. Two Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow and Zommari welcome two new band members as Vapor Atrophy finally record their EP. Orihime has to deal with the flashback that explains a lot. Ulquiorra and Kisuke do some recon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> This chapter may seem confusing but the flashback deals with the TWO HOURS before Bazz and company show up to the warehouse... So 2 hours before Tsukishima dies.
> 
> Also, if it doesn't make sense it will when the next chapter is posted.

Grimmjow cracked his neck and took the headphones off. Nel smiled at him on the other side of the glass. She had Vain strapped to her chest in something. She called it babywearing. Grimmjow shook his head. Nel was going to be one of those crunchy moms. The teal-haired woman argued, she'd be semi-crunchy because she didn't like the idea of cloth diapers.

 

Sloane was standing beside Nel and Grimmjow glared at her. “What's wrong with the song now?” He asked.

 

“Nothing, you just seem to be drained, Grimm. You guys need anything?” Her voice came through the intercom system.

 

He did not imagine that recording six fucking songs would be this hard. He and Zom practiced Sunday with the two new band members and then told Sloane they'd be ready to record Monday and Tuesday. “You want food? Alcohol? Water? Coffee?”

 

“Can I get a beer?” Grimmjow asked. Zommari asked for some water. The two other guys said nothing.

 

Sloane got him a bottle of beer. Nel took it to him. She recorded some video on her phone of Grimmjow with Vain, Zommari sitting at the drumset, their new guitarist Gantenbainne Mosqueda and bass player, Yylfordt Granz. Once he finished the beer, Nel took the baby put her back in the wrap. She kept filming as they sang.

 

“ _I want to be able to give you what you need,_ ” Grimmjow sang. This is what Sloane wanted. This heartbroken boy sound. He poured his emotion out through his voice. “ _Cos sometimes we all want to be free. You disappeared all too soon I never thought it'd be that way..._ ”

 

They got the EP recorded. Sloane was absolutely ecstatic. She asked Nel for a copy of the videos she had taken.

 

When Grimmjow was lying in a room at the Kurosaki clinic, the manager of Vapor Atrophy barged in and set a laptop down in front of him. “Look,” she said smugly.

 

Sighing, the blue-haired man clicked on the link she was showing him. A popular video site popped up. “Vapor Atrophy. Disappear, official video...Sloane, I am going to kill you,” Grimmjow stated, his face expressing his displeasure.

 

“Look at the views! Three million! There are people out there that are chomping at the bit to get the EP! By the way, did your doctor say that you'd be good to go by May? How long does a gunshot wound take to heal?”

 

“You are fucking annoying, Parker.”

* * *

 

Orihime was in her future mother-in-law's home and she was sitting on a futon, nursing the little boy in her arms. She felt abandoned. She felt like Ulquiorra had shuffled her away. Hotaru had been exceptionally kind to her and the woman absolutely fawned over Nobu.

 

She glanced down at the baby. She liked the name Noboru but she picked it because she thought the nickname Nobu was adorable. Once the boy turned sixteen, she would have to call him Noboru due to the fact he would become a man. Orihime stroked his black hair, sadness sweeping over her like a wave.

 

Tears prickled at her eyes. Dark memories were encroaching on her thoughts. “Now is not the time, Tsukishima. I can't do this right now,” she whispered in the darkness.

 

* * *

 

She was in the cell, the door was open. Tsukishima was standing with his hands on his hips. Orihime was standing on the bed, just so that she could kind of look him in the eye. She was still a couple inches short. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She was wearing the t-shirt and leggings he had provided her.

 

“I'm letting you go,” he said.

 

“Why?”

 

“Bazz will be back. I'm going to let you go with him once he gets back here,” Tsukishima said.

 

“I don't want to go! Why can't we leave here together? Why can't you take me to your apartment or house?” Orihime asked. “I want to be with you, Tsukishima. I can help you if you would let me.”

 

“Orihime, stop.”

 

“No! What about everything you've told me? What about every time we've made—”

 

“Did you think I _made love_ to you?”

 

Orihime's bottom lip quivered as she nodded. She could tell Tsukishima was about to rip her entire world apart. “You—you—”

 

“I was just fucking you like that because that's what I like. That's how I fuck, plain and simple. I don't feel anything for you. You were just a pawn.”

 

She had a hard time swallowing after those words came out. Her body slumped to the bed and she buried her face in her hands. “Why?”

  
  
“I wanted to see how Stockholm Syndrome would play out,” he commented as if he was talking about the weather.

 

“What?”

 

“I warned you. I told you that you had not seen what I could do,” Tsukishima stated. He walked over to the bed and picked Orihime up. She fought against him and she found herself on her back with a hand around her throat. “I like breaking people down mentally. I like seeing them try to piece their lives back together. I've done these projects on three other women and do you know what they did afterward?”

 

“What?”

 

“They killed themselves. I took Bazz's woman away from him and I knocked her up. She tried to rope me into a relationship and tried to blackmail me but I told her she was just a toy. She overdosed on some drug. Another woman, she hung herself. I think the other one drowned herself.”

  
“Are you expecting me to do that? I won't. I will fight for you, Tsukishima. I can help you. I know I can. You care about me. Otherwise, you wouldn't have told me so much about yourself. You wouldn't have treated me different when it was just you and I in here at night.” Orihime tried moving her arms but the grip on her neck tightened.

 

She watched as the man slowly swallowed then licked his lips. Tsukishima kept turning his head away. She didn't believe a word he said. He couldn't even look at her. He couldn't even look at her when he spoke. He felt something for her. “I'm going to have _sex_ with you again. This time it will be very different from every other time. Then you're going to listen to me very carefully.”

  

He'd ripped off her clothes. Orihime cried out. Tsukishima had been very rough with her, clawing her back, marking her neck with bites, fucking her roughly. She still came on him. He must have truly felt like he was a monster when he was done. She couldn't help still feel those warm affectionate feelings for him. She grabbed for him after he pushed himself off of her.

 

“I have this hunch that Bazz will not be alone when he gets here. Maybe he'll bring your boyfriend along.” This made Orihime choke out a sob. Tsukishima paid no attention to her. “I want you to ignore everyone but me. You will not look at anyone. You will not speak. You will not do anything. Your attention must be solely focused on me.”

 

“What if I don't?”

 

“Cifer dies. I will call my father and inform him of your address,” Tsukishima replied. “I will request that you watch as he is shot in the head.”

 

Another sob. “Who hurt you? Why are you this way?”

 

He was picking her up again, this time he was kissing her, nuzzling her face and touching her body. Orihime didn't understand this. Why was he doing this? What did he want from her? Then he angrily pushed her away and stormed out of her cell but left the door open.

 

If Orihime sat on her bed and put her back against the wall, she could see Tsukishima pacing in his office through the holes in the metal grates. Occasionally, he would stop and start walking toward the door that she could see him through. He would stop and then start pacing again.

 

Had she known this would be the last day he was alive, Orihime would have gone up to that office. Instead, she just watched him. She didn't know that he was watching her too. They didn't talk again until fifteen minutes before Bazz would arrive with those from the Nikko and Karakura Factions.

 

Tsukishima leaned against the metal frame of the cell. “Suppose I do feel something for you... _I don't_ , this is _purely_ hypothetical, I hope you understand that. _Suppose_ I do feel something for you, what would you do? Would you leave Cifer? Would you be okay being with someone who plans out how to kill people for a living? Could you live without your son?”

 

Orihime didn't say anything. She just stared at him, too shocked for words. No one worded a hypothetical question like that. He took a step into the cell, then another and another. Soon, she was standing on the bed and he had his arms around her waist. His face was hidden in the crook of her neck but she felt his lips on her skin. They were moving. He was murmuring something against her skin. Orihime wanted to push him away but found herself embracing him.

 

“Focus on me and everyone lives,” were Tsukishima's final words to her. He disappeared. He'd been wrong. Not _everyone_ lived.

 

She heard and saw the people on the catwalk and she stood there. She saw Grimmjow, Nel, Bazz, and Ulquiorra in his office. They were coming down the stairs. The metal door was opening. She heard them speaking.

 

He called for her.

 

Orihime could hear Ulquiorra's words. She heard him speak her name over and over. She didn't want him to die and she didn't want to witness his death so she focused all of her attention on the tall, skinny man. Then Bazz and Grimmjow were beating him up and she couldn't do anything but try to help him.

  
  
Ulquiorra told Nel to get her and take her somewhere but Orihime wouldn't go anywhere. She had to see the green-eyed man lived through this. She had to keep her focus on Tsukishima. She had been scared when the gun was pressed against his forehead.

 

She needed Ulquiorra to understand. She needed him to understand that her attention could not leave the other man's face.

 

Orihime had been close enough to Tsukishima that when he got shot, drops of blood splattered her face and hair. It was then when Tsukishima fell to the concrete floor, her eyes looked up at Ulquiorra. His face was contorted in rage; that wasn't Ulquiorra. That was someone else.

 

Then it fell flat. His face and eyes went blank. The Ulquiorra she knew was standing there now, looking stunned.

 

* * *

 

Two weeks passed and Ulquiorra was getting impatient. He knew that Urahara, Yoruichi, and Isshin had taken care of the trio that tried to take out Grimmjow. Aizen should have known that by now his little posse had failed to do their job.

 

His leg jiggled as he waited with the scruffy blond man. They were watching Tosen.

  
  
“Where does Tosen keep his katana?”

 

“Under that white coat, he wears,” Kisuke replied. “You're not going to be this nervous when—”

 

“No. Why would I be nervous?” Ulquiorra watched the other man frown.

 

“It's perfectly normal to get cold feet. You could get some practice in.”

 

The dark-haired man's eyes cut over to Urahara. “One target. One bullet. That's it. Those are people that we're killing.”

 

“That works both ways,” the blond said. “Those who have died already had families and loved ones. They were friends.”

 

“Why is Tosen here?” Ulquiorra asked.

 

Urahara sighed, “They're scouting location spots. Intelligence is that Aizen is gonna call a meeting.” The man's phone rang and he dug it out of his pocket. Ulquiorra glanced at the screen. It was Kenpachi. “Yes? Yes. I know. I'm looking at Tosen. No, there's no other man with him except an underling.” Pause. “Four more today? Who? What's the name? Kugo Ginjo? Got it.”

 

“What did Kenpachi say?”

 

“Drive. I'll tell you on the way over to the shop.”

 

Ulquiorra did as the man said to and pulled out into traffic. He sighed. Had he just listened to his father and went to college when he left high school, he wouldn't be driving around Yakuzas and getting shot at. Fucking Grimmjow and his stupidity.

 

When Ulquiorra had heard that the man had been shot, he couldn't handle it. He destroyed his wooden bokken hitting a gigantic rock that was at the edge of the pond in the back garden. Nel cried while in they drove to Karakura. He had carried the baby seat into the clinic room. Grimmjow was out cold with a spectacular black eye blooming on his face.

 

Nel was inconsolable. Isshin was trying to talk to the woman. Ulquiorra knew what was going on. The woman was having flashbacks. Then they went back home after spending an hour at the clinic. He had—No, he couldn't think about it. It had not happened.

 

 

“So, confirmed intelligence, thanks to Toshiro, Aizen will be using that empty lot for the meeting. You'll be three-hundred yards out if I can find a suitable place. Maybe closer, maybe farther. I'm not going to sit you on the rooftop of the building behind it though. That's asking for death there. Also, four more people from Karakura and Nikko were killed today,” Urahara said, snapping Ulquiorra out of his thoughts.

 

“Who and how?”

 

“Ashido Kano was gunned down along with his wife. He was a long time friend of mine,” Urahara said. The dark-haired man could see the blond's jaw tighten.

 

“Who else?”

 

“Ganju Shiba, Noba, and Kurodo, who were goons basically for Kenpachi, caught a pineapple today.”

 

“How did they do that?”

 

“Usually they have someone throw it in the car and drive off or a runner. It could have been delivered by drones. Aizen has been known to play dirty.”

 

Ulquiorra shook his head in disgust. “So why are we going to the shop when Kenpachi sent us on this stupid errand?”

 

“A man named Kugo Ginjo has been sniffing around Candy Ink. Keeps asking for Nel,” Urahara answered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to Youtube mostly. 
> 
> Annnnnd ya'll are gonna kill me for the next chapter...


	20. The Scythe Will Usher You Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out HOW Grimmjow got a room at the Kurosaki's clinic. Ulquiorra and Nel... have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Sex in this chapter... I'm sorry but it needed to happen. The Editor said so! Otherwise, there'd be no closure. *Runs away quickly*

Grimmjow had felt off all day. Ulquiorra was at school, so he had to pick Orihime and Noboru up from the clinic. He knew the man had planned to take his woman and the baby to his mother's house when he got home. So, he did that and then Kenpachi called, wanting him to go to the dojo to talk to him.

 

He kissed Nel and Vain before departing for the Yakuza warlord's business. He parked the car on the street, a couple buildings away from the dojo. Something didn't feel right. He kept looking around but didn't see anything out of place. Nothing seemed different.

 

Still, he didn't feel right.

 

“Ay, you Grimmjaw Yackhawjock?”

 

Grimmjow turned around and stared at the person who just butchered his name. The kid was squat and had a stupid haircut. He wore a school uniform. He was joined by a woman with dark skin and a very militant appearance.

 

“Did you say something to me?”

 

“This guy's stupid. I'm gonna kill him. Are. You. Grimmjaw Jackerjacks?” The male said.

 

“Do you mean Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?”

 

“I said that.”

 

“Pretty sure that you didn't. Who wants to know?”

 

“He looks like the kid in the picture,” said a man with reddish-brown hair, a stupid looking eyebrow and a white eyepatch with three black dots on it, covering the man's left eye.

 

“Kid? I assure you, I'm a man,” Grimmjow said.

 

“Ebern, shut your face,” the woman said.

 

There was a sharp crack. Grimmjow jumped.

 

“What the fuck, kid?” he shouted. The kid with a buzzed mohawk had pulled out a gun and pointed it Grimmjow's feet, firing the weapon. The blue-haired man started walking backward, away from the trio. “I don't know who the hell you people are but I did nothing to you. What the hell do you want?”

 

“Just your head,” the freak with the eyepatch said, smiling.

 

“You want my head?”

 

The freak pulled out a katana and waved it at Grimmjow. “Your head. Aizen wants to send his regards to some people.”

 

“He can't do that with a card or maybe some roses?”

 

“That's it, I'm tired of his smart ass mouth.”

 

Grimmjow knew that if he kept them talking they probably wouldn't kill him. “You're tired of my smart ass mouth? You're twelve, little dude.”

 

“Ay, fuck you.”

 

“Not my type.”

 

The boy raised the gun and Grimmjow turned. He was near his car. He could get in it and then drive somewhere. A gun went off. The searing hot pain went up his right leg. He tried to hobble to his car but every time he put weight on his leg, it was hell. He fell right beside the vehicle and the trio walked up to him, taking their time. He was trying to scramble backward, dragging his now bum leg.

 

“Dammit, Jackie! Can't you shoot straight?” the short kid with a buzzed mohawk complained.

 

“I'm incapacitating him, not killing him, Moe.”

 

Kisuke and Isshin were standing behind the three thugs that had converged on where the blue-haired man had fallen, his leg bleeding. Grimmjow could see them through the haze of pain. Just as two of the thugs had raised their guns, a gun fired and the guy with the red-brown hair... Well, his body fell forward because his head exploded.

 

Shit! This was fucking bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. He should have never come down to this fucking place.

 

The two assholes who had their heads looked at each other and then they were down on the pavement. Both Kisuke and Isshin had shot each person in the back of the head.

 

* * *

 

They wanted to take Grimmjow's car because it was right there but he refused. It could sit there. All he needed was to explain to Nel why there was blood all over everything.

 

Nel. Shit.

 

How the fuck was he going to explain this?

 

Grimmjow gritted his teeth as Isshin tied a cloth around his leg and put pressure on the wound. Kisuke was driving smoothly through traffic after they picked up Soi Fon and they were at the Kurosaki Clinic in no time flat. Both men helped the temporarily disabled one into the building and then into a room that looked like a miniature operating room.

 

His jeans were cut off at the knee. “Hey! These are my favorite pair!”

 

“Do you want to lose your entire leg? Do you want to live with a bullet in your leg?”

 

Grimmjow shook his head. Isshin looked at him gravely. “This is gonna hurt. Try not to move much.”

 

“AHHHHHHH, motherfucker!” He screamed. It felt like the doctor had just jabbed a piece of molten hot metal into the wound followed by sprinkling the opening with powdered glass. His body jerked off the table and he kicked out at the doctor.

 

“Someone hold him down!”

 

“Can't you give me something for pain?” Grimmjow said, groaning.

 

“You want to be knocked out?”

 

“Anything, just stop fucking with it!”

 

“Grimmjow, I have to get the bullet out.”

 

“Ichigo, can you—” That was the blond fucker's voice.

 

“I would love to knock him out.”

 

“Wait,” Grimmjow screamed. “Stop! We can talk—”

 

His world went black after he saw the flash of the orange-haired man's fist.

 

* * *

 

Nel was shaking as Ulquiorra drove the car. Vain was in her infant seat in the back, safely strapped in. He had just gotten back from Maebashi. He had dropped Orihime and Noboru off at his mother's house. He made sure the woman was settled in. As he was getting back into his car, he got a text message.

 

_\- CALL. NOW._

 

He was perplexed. He hadn't gotten a text from Nel in while. With a sigh, he tapped on the teal-haired woman's name.

 

“Where are you?” Nel sounded distraught. She was definitely crying.

 

“I'm coming back to Nikko. What's wrong? Nel? You can't capslock me in a text and then not say anything. If it's not important—”

 

“Grimmjow was shot!” she cried out.

 

Ulquiorra's stomach dropped and his mouth wouldn't form words. He could hear Vain in the background crying. The baby was almost a month old and she had already lost her father. He couldn't think.

 

“Ulquiorra?”

 

“Nel?”

 

“I need you to get here as fast as possible. I cannot... No one will tell me anything and I need to—” her voice broke and Ulquiorra understood.

 

His previous feelings for the woman were surfacing and he had to fight against them. Ulquiorra knew who he loved but still... emotions were a powerful thing. He still cared for Nel even though she hated him. He lowered his voice. “I will be there, Nel. Give me ninety minutes.”

 

He made it in a little over an hour.

 

Ulquiorra ran into the house and down to Nel and Grimmjow's bedroom. The teal-haired woman was sitting in the rocking chair, nursing her daughter. He had to catch himself from staring too long. Orihime would not feed Noboru in front of him. She always went to their room or her personal room to nurse the child.

 

He had to respect that. He could honestly say, he hadn't expected Orihime to act like a prude after giving birth. She complained when he wanted to touch her, even if it was just a kiss. She complained when he jerked off. She just complained all the time since the baby had been born. Orihime was the one that set the boundaries of their parental duties. He was the one to provide for her, she was the one that cared for the child.

 

Nel looked up when he gave a slight cough and smiled. Her face was puffy from crying. “I'm almost done feeding her and then we can go. Kenpachi told me he's at the Kurosaki Clinic. No one there will tell me anything.”

 

“I'm going to go—I'll be in my room. Just text me when you're finished,” Ulquiorra said before Nel could argue with him, he was gone from her bedroom door.

 

What the hell was wrong with him? He thought as he stomped down the hall. He didn't stay in his room. He went there to get the bokken out of his closet and then started annihilating the stick on a rock that looked like it could take a beating.

 

He was trying to take all his aggression out on that rock. By the time Nel was ready, the bokken was broke in pieces and his hands stung from the force of the wood hitting the rock. He would have to get a new one from Urahara.

 

* * *

 

Nel heard the doctor's words. Grimmjow had gotten shot through his calf muscle. It was nothing serious. Nothing fatal. He would live. His leg might hurt when it rained or got cold but he would still be able to walk.

 

That was a good thing.

 

Isshin said she could stay at the clinic but Grimmjow was going to be out for a while. They'd given him some nice drugs to sleep off the minor surgery that he had... and the possible concussion Ichigo gave him.

 

That's where he'd gotten the black eye.

 

Ulquiorra carried Vain out to the car and strapped the infant car seat into the back. She started to fuss and Nel watched as he searched the seat for her pacifier. Once he found it, he stuck it in her mouth before climbing out and getting into the driver seat.

 

Nel wasn't blind. She heard his voice over the phone. She hadn't missed the way Ulquiorra looked at her when he walked into the bedroom. She hadn't missed how his cheeks colored faintly pink. She watched as he destroyed a piece of wood in the back garden.

 

When they pulled back into the driveway in front of their house, Nel was nervous and she wasn't sure why. She thanked the dark-haired man as he carried the baby back into the house. She laid Vain in her crib. Then Nel changed into a pair of pajamas, nothing fancy; a simple camisole and flannel pants.

 

She heard the television come on, then the volume of the thing was lowered. Nel bit her lip. She walked out of her room and into the where she found Ulquiorra wearing a pair of black pajama pants and no shirt. His head came up sharply. He stared at her as she was there to attack him.

 

Why did she feel like this right now? Was it because Grimmjow was stupid enough to almost die; he was an idiot to get involved with this shit? Was it because when she heard the news she had multiple flashbacks of Nnoitra being gunned down?

 

Nel felt incredibly lonely at that moment. Since Bazz had been locked up she hadn't been very friendly to Ulquiorra. She had fired him.

 

She _was_ going to get _married_.

 

He _had_ a _fiancee_.

 

They were _parents_.

 

He was staring at her just as desperately as she was staring at him. When Ulquiorra stood up, Nel tensed, unsure of what he was doing. He reached for her hands and held them between his own for a moment. When he looked up at her, the confusion was evident on his face.

 

“Where—”

 

Nel shook her head. She didn't want to speak about this. She didn't want to talk. She just led him back to her private room. She hadn't been in here since that day Grimmjow picked her up off the floor. The smell that had made her collapse was gone. There was no indication that Bazz had ever stepped foot into the room.

 

The doors were left open. She pushed him back to sit on the bed. Nel walked over where her overnight bag was sitting on the floor and she reached into a pocket, extracting something. She stood and looked over at the dark-haired man. “No marks. No bruises. One time.”

 

He just nodded. When she was close enough, he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her down onto him, kissing her. This was familiar to Nel. His hands were tangling in her hair. She found she had done the same, twisted her hands in his inky locks of hair. Neither of them could pull away.

 

What the hell was she doing?

 

The kiss went on for several minutes with them taking quick breathers to catch their breath. His pale fingers then slid down her neck and arms, going to her hips. He was holding her. He was using the time to reacquaint himself with her body.

 

His lips followed a similar path with them trailing down her neck and came to rest by the hollow of her throat, She groaned as he nipped the skin by her collarbone. The bite was followed by his tongue swiping over the area. "No marks, Ulquiorra," Nel reminded him.

 

“Sorry. I forgot,” he said then he moaned as Nel's hand ventured under the waistband of the pajama pants he was wearing. He rolled them over so she was lying on her back. “I'm just so used to...”

 

His hands were on her waist and traveling up, slipping under her tank top. The teal-haired woman couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious about her body. She was getting her body back into shape but still, there were some stretch marks and her tummy wasn't as flat as it had been.

 

She looked down as Ulquiorra's fingers brushed over her nipples and the curve of her breasts. He then pulled her shirt off her body and threw it to the floor.

 

“You okay,” he asked, not looking at her. He was focused on her nipples; twisting them and pulling them lightly. Nel said nothing as he licked them. It was when Ulquiorra's entire mouth enclosed one that she arched her back. He was sucking on it.

 

“Don't or you'll get a surprise,” she said quietly.

 

She heard a chuckle. “I don't mind. Orihime won't even feed him in front of me. I'm curious about it.”

 

“Grimm—” Nel paused. It was no use to pretend that he wasn't around. “He didn't like breast milk when he tried playing with my tits. He said until Vain is weaned, they're off limits.”

 

Her eyes about rolled back in her head to the dark-haired man's response. Ulquiorra's green eyes looked up at her and his mouth kept sucking. Nel saw when it hit his tongue. He wasn't grossed out by it. He closed his eyes. He didn't stop and she had to push him away. He just grinned at her.

 

His attention was turned to the other breast and Nel had to divert his attention elsewhere. If he didn't knock it off he would have her leaking and that would be embarrassing.

 

Nel felt his lips and teeth on her abdomen. Ulquiorra had shifted his body so he could continue his journey south. His hands were yanking down her pajama bottoms. His fingers wrapped around her legs and moved them. Her thighs rested on his shoulders. Was he really—?

 

He was because his mouth gently bit the inside of her thigh. Her hands automatically fisted the blanket underneath her as his mouth and tongue explored her skin. That talented tongue and mouth of his delved through wet folds of skin and was flicking her clit. He was tasting her and Nel felt his fingers enter her body.

 

 _Fuck,_ he was good at this.

 

“I know I am.”

 

“Huh?” she asked, raising her head.

 

“You just said, fuck, you're good at this.”

 

Shit. She didn't mean to say it out loud. Nel decided to shut him up by pushing him away. She saw the smug smile on his face as he laid beside her. He held his hand out and she raised her eyebrows. “What?”

 

“The condom.”

 

Nel bit her lip. She still had the condom in her hand, holding onto it tightly. Ulquiorra was moving and his body was now between her legs. He was naked... When did he take his pajama pants off? His hand was taking the condom from her.

 

Her hazel eyes watched as he opened the packet and rolled the contraceptive down his cock. Grimmjow hadn't even had her yet. She still had a month until she could have sex. Her breathing became short breaths because he was touching her again. Fingers were slightly curled inside her and he was fucking her, making her gasp and moan.

 

Nel threw her head back, enjoying what he was doing to her. His hand retreated and Nel opened her eyes. Ulquiorra's pale hands grabbed her hips and then he was lining himself up, letting his latex covered cock, nudge her clit which made her whine with pleasure. Was he doing this on purpose?

 

He slid into her in one easy motion. The force of it took her breath away. Her arms went around his neck, drawing him closer. Nel could feel how gentle he was being. His pace was slow and steady. She could feel the tingles of pleasure shooting up her spine and down her legs as they wrapped around him.

 

“This feels good,” he murmured into her ear.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra had been slow and took his time exploring Nel's body and moving with her. He knew she had come several times but she was refraining from making noise. He'd been gentle and caring until he decided he was ready to have his release. He thrust into her harder and faster, making her bit her lip. She was trying not to cry out.

 

Nel's body was begging him to come every time he moved in and out of her. He eventually couldn't take anymore and his hips stilled against hers. He was panting as he came, Nel's name escaping his lips. Groaning as his body shook from the residual pleasure, he moved to her side to lay on the bed next to her. Her body was shivering too. She must be having aftershocks of her own orgasms.

 

Ulquiorra gathered her in his arms, turning her body so she faced him, absentmindedly playing with her nipples and squeezing her breasts. They were leaking against his palms. He wanted to reach out with his tongue and lick them. He didn't. He just lay there, cuddling with Nel, his eyes shut.

 

After the elation passed, the seriousness of the situation overcame him.

 

Fuck.

 

He was an idiot. Not just an idiot, but a fucking idiot of major fucking stupid proportions. He had just fucked his best friend's woman. His fiancee was at his mother's house. How much more could Ulquiorra mess his life up?

 

His eyes opened and he found tan eyes staring back at him.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said. Ulquiorra's gaze searched her face, his hand brushed back a lock of hair from her face. “It was inappropriate of me—”

 

“Thank you.”

 

His brow furrowed in confusion and he gave her a questioning look. “Why?”

 

“Bazz,” Nel said, frowning. “He told me that you visited. That you thanked him. He took it as an apology too.”

 

He stared at her for a moment. “Still, this,” he said.

 

She shook her head. “It never happened.”

 

“Nel, you can't—Someone is going to—”

 

“Ulquiorra, nothing happened.”

 

He was becoming frustrated with Nel and her words. “I'm not understanding you. If nothing happened, why are we wrapped around each other? Why do I have a condom on me filled with come? Why do I smell like you? Why can I taste you on my tongue?”

 

“You don't understand, obviously.”

 

“Explain then.”

 

“Once we leave this room, nothing happened. Put it behind you. You've apologized to me enough for what happened. I'm forgiving you,” Nel said quietly before kissing him. “We cannot speak of this ever. It never happened.”

 

He nodded. “You were having flashbacks of Nnoitra weren't you? That's why you called me.”

 

She nodded this time. “I just kept imagining—It was horrible and you... You knew what I went through. You calmed me down. You told me that you'd be here and you were. After we talked, I could focus on what I needed to do with Vain. In the car, I was imagining what Grimmjow went through and it scared me...”

 

“Shhhh.” After a few more minutes, Nel started kissing him again and her hands fluttered against his abs but he stopped her. “One time.”

 

She sighed. “One time.”

 

When they left the room, properly dressed, Ulquiorra understood what just happened. She was forgiving him for what Bazz had done. She was forgiving him for killing Tsukishima. Nel was giving him closure for his crimes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alanis Morrisette - That I Would Be Good  
> In This Moment - Lost at Sea  
> Nemesis - Munchies For Your Bass  
> Demxntia - With Thoughts of You and I  
> Staind - Tangled Up In You  
> Fall Out Boy - Miss Missing You  
> Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust  
> Sixx AM - Skin


	21. One Bullet. One Shot.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow's being a bitch. Nel gets confused. Aizen formulates a plan. Ulquiorra takes a deep breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.

It was the end of April, Grimmjow clenched his jaw as he walked across the clinic room. This gunshot wound healing shit was for the fucking birds. He didn't like it. He didn't want it. He was done with it. Isshin and that crazy blond guy had told him what happened.

 

Toshiro had intercepted some correspondence from the Tokyo organization. Honestly who the fuck used emails to give people directions about killing others? Anyway, Kenpachi had used him as bait. They had Soi Fon on the roof across the street from the dojo. She was the one that took out the thug formerly known as Ebern. Isshin had shot the woman. Urahara had shot the other kid.

 

The blue-haired man glared when the Nikko leader told him this. Then he told him the more chilling news. Nel was being targeted. She had already been told to stay home. The Tokyo faction was getting frustrated because Cifer seemed like a ghost and the redhead had disappeared.

 

They knew all of this from recon and hacking into things. He didn't understand a damn word of it. Grimmjow had called Kenpachi a couple of choice words and then told the tall man to go fuck himself. This was all their fault.

 

As soon as Grimmjow made it to one end of the room he turned around and started limping towards the other end. He wasn't gonna let this damn injury stop him. He was leaving on tour May nineteenth. He was tempted to take Nel and Vain with him. Sloane told him not to be ridiculous. They'd be back by August. That was three months without his girls.

 

He wanted to go home. He wanted to sleep in his bed beside his fiancee and he wanted to hold his daughter. Nel would be having her six weeks check up soon and he wanted to have his way with her.

 

His frustration also came from Bazz. Grimmjow wanted to punch the man in the face. It'd been a week since he'd talked to him. The last conversation they had erupted into a fight.

 

“Eighty-three months to go until I'm buried in you,” Bazz chuckled.

 

“Fuck off,” the blue-haired man said, his tone disgruntled.

 

“You fuck Nel yet?”

 

“Nah. How can I when your dad has people shooting me?”

 

“You don't have to keep bringing that up. I don't have any contact with Aizen. He can go fuck himself,” Bazz answered. “Don't take your bitching out on me.”

 

“Had you not fucking entered our lives this wouldn't have happened. Had you kept your dick out of my future wife—”

 

“Hold up,” Bazz interjected. “Had you not cheated on Nel with Orihime, she wouldn't have left—”

 

“Go get fucked, Bazz. Leave me the hell alone.”

 

“Maybe I will.”

 

The call had disconnected. Grimmjow stewed in anger. That night when Nel came to visit with Ulquiorra in tow, he didn't miss how the woman blushed slightly when she caught Ulquiorra's eye. The dark-haired man left, presumably to talk to Urahara. He and Nel got into a fight too.

 

“Look Vain, there's Daddy!” Nel said handing him the baby.

 

“Looks to me like you replaced me,” he replied, taking his daughter from the woman.

 

“What?”

 

“C'mon Nel. You blushed when you looked at Ulquiorra. Something is going on,” Grimmjow said.

 

She waved a hand. “You're in a bad mood because of Bazz. He's already told me everything, so quit being pissy. Nothing is going on between me and Ulq. He's been helpful and I can't help get embarrassed because of how I've treated him the past couple of months. I was a bitch.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

She nodded.

 

“He did get our boy toy locked up.”

 

“That idiot did that on his own." Nel paused. “Kenpachi called me today. He wants me to go into Candy Ink.”

 

“Did he say why?”

 

“He wants to catch one of Aizen's men.”

 

Grimmjow spluttered with rage then remembered he was holding Vain. Kenpachi almost got him killed now he was asking Nel to be a piece of meat to lure a lion out? “The hell to the no. You're not doing it. I don't want to see you die or have you injured.”

 

She sighed and folded her arms across her chest.

 

He shook his blue head. “Fuck no, Nelliel.”

 

“I already told him no. I had to think of Vain,” she said.

 

“I don't like you being in the house alone,” Grimmjow said. He was very disgruntled today.

 

“I'm not alone. I've got Ulquiorra around. He apparently very good with a katana. I've watched him swinging one around in the garden.”

 

Grimmjow snorted. “I want you to go stay with your mom and Don. I'd feel a lot better knowing you're with them instead of him.”

 

“What crawled up your ass today? Why don't you like your friend?”

 

He scoffed. “I'm just pissed off I'm laid up here,” Grimmjow replied. “I could be at home fucking your brains out. You go to the doctors yet? When I get out of here, I'm gonna be buried in you, balls deep, Queen.”

 

She blushed at that. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. “I went to the doctor's today and they gave me birth control. Vain and I went to see her doctor. She's growing well. You're pissy because you've not had sex in six weeks. Admit it.”

 

He grumbled. Nel didn't stay long after that. Grimmjow talked to Isshin. He was told a couple more days and then he'd be able to go home.

 

* * *

 

“You've got to stop that,” Ulquiorra said as he stood, leaning against the kitchen counter. Nel was rummaging around the refrigerator, cleaning it out of old food and other things.

 

Nel glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow. “ _Stop_ what?”

 

He gave her an unimpressed look. “Looking at me,” he said. “I heard what Grimmjow said. You don't do it when we are here. Just when we go there. I mean you look at me but you don't blush.”

 

She righted her body and put her hands on her hips. “It never happened,” Nel stated.

 

“Tch,” Ulquiorra scoffed. Nel heard his phone buzz and watched as he dug it out of the pocket of his hoodie.

 

“Kenpachi's called a meeting. Fuck. I hope this isn't some stupid stunt to use me as bait,” he mumbled.

 

Nel swallowed. She hoped that wasn't the case. “How much of our conversation did you hear?”

 

“All of it. I didn't go to Kisuke's today. I have no need to go there. I've learned all I can from the man,” Ulquiorra replied. “Look, if it never happened and it was only that one time—”

 

She cut him off. “It replays in my head. _Constantly_.”

 

The dark-haired man nodded. “Same. Just stop, okay? Unless you have some plan for _us_ , Orihime included, _stop_.”

 

A plan for _us_? Nel shook her head. She had no desire to enter a relationship with another man; her dance card was full. She knew that she was so confused about everything. Confused and scared. She had only had sex with Ulquiorra because—Well, why did she have sex with him?

 

She had been scared about the whole thing with Grimmjow getting shot. She had flashbacks when Kenpachi called her and told her the news. She could see Nnoitra's bloody body. Ulquiorra was the closest one to comfort her. She had also meant it as an apology. A peace offering. She was giving him the ending he wanted months ago. She was the one that told him it was only one time and it never happened.

 

“I wish I could see Orihime and Nobu. I don't want to attract Aizen's attention though. I've got to get going. I'm gonna be late,” he said. Ulquiorra pressed his lips against her cheek before he brushed past her.

 

She brought her hand up to her cheek. “Hey Ulquiorra,” Nel called out.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You know how when you hate feeling shit, like emotions?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I wish I could blank them out like you do.”

 

* * *

 

Aizen sat in his penthouse office and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was on the brink of a mental breakdown.

 

That morning the news was Ggio Vega, Abirama Redder, and his driver named Patros had been killed by a hand grenade. Two the of them had been close to Tsukishima. Aizen assigned those men to his son and they had willingly walked away from him.

 

On one hand, he didn't care if they were dead but _he_ had more dead bodies than Nikko, Karakura, and Utsunomiya.

 

So he decided to call the three other warlords. Kyoraku agreed to the meeting. Urahara had laughed. Kenpachi agreed.

 

What they didn't know was that Aizen was planning on massacring them all. Anyone who was left, would either be killed or absorbed into his new kingdom. Submit to him or die. People would question where their loyalties lay.

 

He sent Tosen out to scout a proper meeting place. There was an abandoned building near northern Tokyo with a huge parking lot that would accommodate them all.

 

He sent Kugo to find Nel Tu. Aizen wanted to know why the woman was on his bastard son's visitation log. The man had turned up empty. The people he talked to said they hadn't seen Nel in weeks.

 

Aizen had two days until the meeting. Two fucking days and he would have his revenge. He'd put a bullet through Cifer's head just like the man had done to his son.

 

* * *

 

“... And he's been sleeping really well. I got him on a schedule for feedings,” Orihime chirped in his ear. Ulquiorra smiled hearing her voice.

 

“Woman, it sounds like you have everything taken care of,” he said.

 

He could almost hear her smile by the way she giggled. “Not everything. You're not here. I really miss you, Ulquiorra. Your mom has been showing me pictures! You were such a cute baby! You looked like an owl.”

 

“I did not look like an owl.”

 

“It was because of your big eyes. You were a chubby toddler too! You should tell Vain that Nobu misses his best friend.”

 

Ulquiorra could feel his face get red. His mother would embarrass him like that, wouldn't she? “I'm glad you're having fun getting to know my mother. Have you met anyone else in my family?”

 

“No, your mother has pretty much told everyone she's not accepting visitors,” she replied. “If you're at home we could... Well... Do you remember when you called Grimmjow and I was in the car with him?”

 

The dark-haired man tried to remember what she was talking about and his eyebrows knitted together. “Oh, do you mean the phone—Oh.”

 

Oh, she was talking about when they had phone sex. He gave a low growl. “I would love to, Woman. I can't. I'm at work—Kenpachi is putting me to work on some stuff. I promise I will see you soon. I've got to go, Orihime.”

 

He ended the call and looked up to where Urahara was standing. He handed Ulquiorra a Bluetooth headset. The man put it on. His mouth was set in a thin line.

 

“Who is your target?”

 

Ulquiorra sighed. “Do we have to go over this again?”

 

“Who is your target?”

 

“Sosuke Aizen, Three-hundred yards out. Fifteen stories up. One bullet, one shot,” Ulquiorra said automatically.

 

“Okay, Batman. I'd say we're ready. Bumblebee, are you ready?”

 

The green-eyed man heard Soi Fon's voice through the headset. “What's your code name Urahara?” he asked.

 

“Hat and Clogs. Five minutes and we're rolling out.”

 

* * *

 

“Steady.”

 

“I have him. Let me take it.”

 

“No one is swinging shit, yet. Stand down Bat—”

 

“Fuck off, _Bumblebitch_.”

 

“I am going to kick your green-eyed ass.”

 

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes as he looked through the scope on the rifle Kisuke had given him to use. He lay on the roof of the building watching the four Yakuza faction leaders. The tension below him was heating up. “Clogs, Tosen...”

 

“I see it,” the blond replied through the speaker in his ear.

 

“Retsu has reached into her sleeve.”

 

He knew if the katanas were brought out then bullets would start flying. He'd seen how fast the therapist was with that deadly blade.

 

“Do you have a visual?”

 

“I see Four-Eyes.” Ulquiorra took a deep breath and held it. He was just waiting for the command. He didn't have to wait for Urahara to say anything. Tosen had stabbed Kenpachi in the shoulder. Retsu swung her blade around lopping off the black man's head.

 

His finger pulled the trigger.

 

* * *

 

Ulquiorra didn't need to check the scope to see if he hit his mark. He knew he hit it. Kisuke was in his ear, telling him good job.

 

“Target confirmed. Aizen down. I repeat target is confirmed, Aizen is down.”

 

Soi Fon was telling them the people she had picked off. Ulquiorra could hear the faint gunshots.

 

He let out the breath he was holding. Now, came the hard part. He quickly disassembled the rifle, throwing the parts into a bag and took off the gloves. He had exactly two minutes to get off that rooftop and somewhere far away from where he took the shot. The cops would be sniffing around the building.

 

Ulquiorra thought about that phone call. Noboru had been born probably about an hour before he placed that call.

 

What had prompted him to make the call? He had to protect that little boy. He had to protect his woman. He had to protect his own life. What had the scruffy blond man asked him ages ago? It seemed so long ago.

 

It'd been in February.

 

They were in the man's basement shooting range. “Ulquiorra, Kenpachi wants you on that roof.”

 

“What about Grimmjow? He's going to be in the thick of the fighting,” Ulquiorra replied.

 

“That's his choice.”

 

“I will not stand by and watch anyone else fall. I certainly won't watch my best friend die,” the dark-haired man said with venom in his voice.

 

“You're the best sniper we have. I can't do it. I have to be positioned somewhere else. You have the best advantage out of me and Soi Fon.”

 

“Short, crazy, murderous lady can snipe?”

 

“She's an assassin,” the blond replied. “I need you on that rooftop.”

 

His cell phone had rung twice. Those two rings had seemed ages before Kisuke answered. Click.

 

“Yes?” Urahara said, sounding slightly irritated and sleepy.

 

“I'll do it,” Ulquiorra stated. That's all he needed to say. ”

 

“You will?”

 

“I _said_ I'll do it.” The dark-haired man hated repeating himself. “I will be on that roof, Kisuke. I will take that shot.”

 

He took the elevator to the first floor and calmly walked out as the police were headed toward the stairwell. Ulquiorra maintained a blank expression on his face as he strolled through the people milling about the street. He had just killed another person. He had just eliminated another life.

 

Was he in shock?

 

Absolutely not. Aizen had been a pain in his ass for a while now.

 

Did he regret it?

 

Fuck no. His family was safe.

 

As soon as he was a couple blocks away, he started running. Ulquiorra needed to see Orihime and his son.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of Lil Peep and Lil Happy, Lil Sad


	22. One Year Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year from the day Aizen died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> Short... VERY SHORT... Chapter. 
> 
> FYI, Aizen dies... May 1st.

Ulquiorra sat in the garden watching a little boy with black hair and murky green eyes and a little girl with blonde curls with brilliant blue eyes toddle around the grass, grabbing at various things. It was only when the little girl had a fist full of dirt did Nel get up from the blanket and lift Vain; brushing the debris from the baby's hand and then getting a wet wipe to clean the child.

 

The sun hit the boy's hair and Ulquiorra could swear there was a red tint to the boy's locks. That boy was his world along with his mother.

 

Orihime sat in front of him slightly and she looked incredibly happy. Ever since that night, a day after Christmas, a year and some months ago, she'd been in a dark place and the green-eyed man was unsure if he could actually pull her back from the brink of destroying everything they had. He hadn't even been sure if he could pull himself from that dark place.

 

He hadn't had any contact with the Yakuza since that day. He dropped the rifle off at Urahara's store and then he was gone. He hadn't picked up a gun since then but he did keep his katana. He liked having that option should anyone fuck with him again. He knew he had a means to defend himself. He had told Orihime what happened that day. He told her what he had done. She hugged him and they made love. His mother had ripped his ass about having sex in her home but he said nothing as he gathered his fiancee and his son to drive them back to Nikko.

 

He leaned forward and placed his chin on her shoulder. “I love you,” he murmured to her.

 

“I know, Ulqui.”

 

“Grrr.” He still didn't like pet names.

 

“I love you too, _Ulquiorra_.”

 

“I keep thinking I'm dreaming that you're with me.”

 

"Why would you think that?"

 

"Because I'm a tattooed freak," he said. "An emotionless man with skeletons buried deep in his closets." 

 

“I fell in love with you, for you. Not with how you look, just who you were and who you are. That's what I fell in love with. I know your skeletons, Ulquiorra. I have my own. We deal with it, remember? One day at a time,” Orihime said and turned her head, kissing his cheek. She turned back in time to see Noboru had a leaf in his hand.

 

“Nobu, no!”

 

The boy tried to run away from his mother but the woman had longer legs and more coordination than he could manage at the moment. The baby fell flat on his face which caused the adults to laugh.

 

“Hey Ulq,” Grimmjow said, before taking a swig of beer.

 

“Grimm?”

 

“Nel and I want to thank you for your hospitality. We found a place and Zip The Bag Records is footing the bill. We're gonna be moving out next weekend. Nel's gonna leave her bed for you and Orihime if you want it. The leather couch is staying and so is the television.”

 

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. “You know you guys don't have to leave,” he said.

 

“I know—”

 

“Ulquiorra, as much as we love staying here with you and Orihime, we need to be on our own,” Nel said, giving him a faint smile. Ulquiorra could see the faint blush cross her face. “Grimmjow's going to be touring with BPM and I want my mom to be able to come over to see Vain.”

 

“I see. That's understandable.”

 

“It's okay Ulquiorra. We'll be fine here all by ourselves,” Orihime said brightly. “I know you've gotten used to having all three of them around but we need to be a family by ourselves too.”

 

He studied the face of each individual that was looking at him and he then nodded. It was hard for him to accept change. It was hard for him to accept anything new. These people were his security blanket. These people were his family.

 

“You two—three are still coming to the wedding, right?”

 

“Duh,” Grimmjow said before he gave Nel a grin. The woman blushed. The woman must have been remembering their own wedding and probably the honeymoon after. Nel had been Nelliel Jaegerjaquez for seven months now.

 

Ulquiorra sighed. In two weeks, Orihime would no longer be Orihime Inoue but Orihime Cifer. This was quite a big change but one he was ready for. “I just want to make sure that we're cool though. No ill will towards each other. We did this—”

 

“Ulquiorra,” Nel said, handing her daughter to her father. The teal-haired woman crawled across the blanket and took the man's face in her hands, pushing his cheeks inward so his mouth made fish lips. No one had found out about that night that Grimmjow had gotten shot. He and Nel had never said anything. Sometimes, he would catch himself staring at her. Sometimes, he would catch her staring at him. He looked up into her hazel eyes. They were vastly different than those that viewed him when he first met her. “Stop worrying. We all made mistakes. We all faced the consequences of our actions.”

 

Her words had a double meaning to him. He nodded though. The woman pressed a kiss to his forehead then he felt a kiss on his temple. He glanced at the redhead who also kissed his head. 

 

“Quit worrying,” she echoed. He smiled faintly at Orihime.

 

“You know what we could do? We should, for old times sake, have a good fuck fest... Before we move out...” Grimmjow said as he took another drink from the beer bottle. Vain was sitting on the blanket beside him. “Maybe watch each other fuck... Circle jerk?”

 

Nel said it was an accident but Ulquiorra knew that her elbow hitting the beer bottle as he tipped it to his mouth and causing it to spill had been deliberate. The night before Nel, Grimmjow and Vain left for their own place, they all fucked in Nel's room. The kids were in their cribs for the night. They could be adults. Ulquiorra wasn't even jealous that Grimmjow had his dick buried in Orihime because he was fucking Nel to the point she was speechless. The men got to see Orihime and Nel go down on each other which Grimmjow complained that they needed to see this happen a couple more times. Nel said if he wanted that he had to let Ulquiorra fuck him. The blue-haired man declined. 

 

 He and Orihime got married. He took her to California to meet the tattoo artists that saved his life years ago, hiding him. They went to Hawaii before going back to Japan. He graduated from university with a Bachelor's degree in Civil and Chemical Engineering. He found himself sitting behind his father's desk at the company his parents had built. Orihime had been overwhelmed with her new status. She opened a bakery.

 

 Ulquiorra's world was great... 

 

Peace never lasted long though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S.E.N.S. - Lunar Dream  
> Iron and Wine - Such Great Heights  
> Hakaisu - The Day I Met You  
> James Arthur - Say You Won't Let Go  
> Hailee Steinfeld, Grey ft. Zedd - Starving  
> Hawthorne Heights - Ohio Is For Lovers (Acoustic)  
> Colin James Hay - Can I Hold You  
> Lifehouse - Everything  
> Howie Day - I'll Take You On


	23. Epilogue: Six Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bazz comes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. I, EspadaIV, do not own Bleach nor the characters I've used. They belong to their respective owners. Please feel free to comment or leave a review. Kudos are awesome too. Soundtrack at the end of the story. Thank you for reading and please, enjoy.
> 
> There is sex in this!
> 
> This is the end. This is my crowning glory at almost 350K words.
> 
> To my loyal readers, thank you for sticking by this series. I did not expect when I started Carnival of Rust on November 5th, 2017 for NaNoWriMo that it would expand into this. I had plans to just write a fanfic a day to get to the 50K word count. I was done with COR by November 18th. I started Troubled By The Way We Came Together the same day. It was completed December 4th. I then started Deep Six a couple of days later and finished it January 18th. Empty Space Inside was started January 1st and finished February 3rd. You could say, I co-wrote Deep Six and ESI together. I always write the beginning of a novel and then ending. So, this ending was written the same day I posted the first chapter of ESI. 
> 
> Thank you to The Editor and The Partners. They were invaluable for feedback, information, and ego boosters when I felt defeated (thanks, Whoreface McTrollass). They reminded me several times that I write what I want to read. Ya'll don't know how many times I went back and read COR, TBTWWCT, Deep Six and ESI because I enjoyed it. Fun fact, I can read 200K+ words in a day... That's a 24 hour period. So minus the 4 -6 hours, I sleep, I can probably read 150K words at a time. I've read my own original novels many times. I write for me. I just drag ya'll along for the ride on the demented roller coaster I call my twisted mind. If I could post my original fiction here, I would just to show you how deep and dark the rabbit hole goes. :)
> 
> I want to thank the other authors of fanfiction on AO3 and FF.net. The more I read, the more I wanted to write. It didn't matter what I wrote. I just needed to write. It could have been my original fiction, crack!ships (YAY Bazz/Nel! WTF Nnoitra/Uryu?), fanfic, drabble, poems. I wanted to write. That's inspiration to me. 
> 
> All the songs that were mentioned in ESI concerning Vapor Atrophy in this fic were written by me. "Stardust" is a song I wrote after the death of David Bowie in 2016. His death affected me greatly as he is one of my favorite musicians. I can't hear any of his music without crying.
> 
> To my Miss EliEliPuddinPie, *tears up* there are 6 songs out of all the songs I've listened or discovered while writing this that I want to dedicate to you. I won't because I don't want to embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable. I don't even have the words--I can't think of the words to express my gratitude to you. Smile, Love. :) 
> 
> Thank you, everyone, who has taken a look at my fics. Thank you for all the views, comments, and kudos.  
> EspadaIV

Six fucking years later...

 

It was a cold and windy day. Nel was standing outside of the SUV, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. She was smiling and clapping her hands as she heard different buzzers and clangs from inside the building. Grimmjow sat in the warm interior of the car in the driver's seat. He looked bored as he tapped his fingertips against the steering wheel.

 

The front doors of the prison opened and the woman with teal hair got more excited. She turned around and beamed a bright smile at the blue-haired man. He smiled back as he listened to the demos from the studio that Vapor Atrophy recorded last week.

 

He knew what Nel was excited about. It'd been seven fucking years since Bazz was sentenced. He had notified them by a phone call two days ago he was being released a couple days early.

 

“Good behavior,” Bazz said into his ear.

 

“Bullshit,” Grimmjow replied.

 

But it had been true. The man was being released.

 

He and Nel were happy. Sure, there had been some trying times, like when Grimmjow slept with that woman while they were on a world tour. Or the time that Nel had screwed Ulquiorra because she had gotten drunk; Grimmjow watched because sometimes he liked watching her fuck. He just didn't like the fact that it'd been the engineering tycoon that stuck his dick in her. He fucked her four times that night; three times in the pussy and once in the ass. Grimmjow just sat in the corner and jerked off two fucking times.

 

It was little things. They didn't fight, they logically and _sometimes_ heatedly talked things out but Grimmjow and Nel still came home to each other. She was still his rock. She was the reason he worked so hard. He did everything for Nel. It had been worth it too but it hadn't been easy.

 

What was it that Nel had said to him a long time ago?

 

“If this shit was easy, Grimm, it wouldn't have lasted. If you have something that lasts, it doesn't come easy. I want us to last. I don't want to have an amazing couple of years and then it all be over in a flash,” she stated. It'd been on Valentine's day because they were standing outside of a cafe. He had bought her hot chocolate just like Bazz suggested. Her breath came out in puffs. “I don't want to experience the feelings of hurt, confusion, and disappointment again. I don't want to lose you. No matter what we go through, I want us to be together.”

 

And they had been together. One place paid off, two mortgages, four car payments, two kids, a huge cell phone bill, and a third wheel later, they'd been through everything together.

 

Now though, the future loomed uncertain because they were adding another ingredient to their mix. Bazz was getting out of prison. He was coming to live with them. Grimmjow could sense he was getting closer because Nel kept getting more animated. He finally turned off the vehicle and opened the door to join her.

 

He knew he couldn't put off being there to greet his wife's lover anymore.

 

Gates were opening, buzzers sounded, and then there he was. Bazzard Black, in all of his glory, was walking towards him with a bag on his shoulder. He was more muscular. His trademark mohawk had transformed into a cascade of waist-length light brown hair. He had a huge smile on his face too.

  
The clothes he had worn that fateful night seven years ago, were on his body; the jeans, black t-shirt, and that damn white leather jacket. Maybe Jugo or Jushiro had sent him fresh clothes.

 

The man ended up running, quickly closing the distance between him and the couple. Bazz scooped Nel into a hug, whirling her around and kissing her deeply.

 

“ _My baby_ ,” he said to her.

 

“Bazz,” Nel replied, blushing.

 

Grimmjow looked away as they had their moment. He was surprised when Bazz pressed him against the door of the SUV and was kissing him, shoving hands through his blue hair. He didn't know what to think and ended up pushing the other man away. If paparazzi had followed him out here then they just got the scoop of the century.

 

“What the—You don't know if I'm still like that!” Bazz gave a grin that made his stomach flutter and Grimmjow glared at Nel. “You've been telling him things!” he said accusingly to his wife.

 

Nel shrugged. Bazz shook his head. “I know what I like, Grimm. You'll be surprised what tricks I know now.”

 

“Well, yeah,” he said but found himself at a loss for words. He reverted to the age-old, “Fuck you, Bazz.”

 

“Tonight,” he said with a smirk.

 

“Jesus fucking—Can we go? Can we get into the car and go?”

 

Grimmjow got behind the wheel and he fully expected Nel to get in beside him but was surprised as she popped into the rear-view mirror. Bazz was kissing the woman's neck and had her shirt pulled up over her breast.

 

“Can you wait until we're out of the parking lot?”

 

“No, I've not felt these tits in seven years. Just fucking go. I'm sick of seeing this place,” came the answer as Nel disappeared. All Grimmjow saw was the top of Bazz's back. He heard the telltale signs of a zipper being pulled down.

 

“Bazz,” Grimmjow said in warning. “Wait! Just wait two fucking minutes while I get out on the road. I really don't want people to arrest you or Nel for public indecency.”

 

There was a chuckle and then a moan from behind him. “Do you need a condom?” the blue-haired man asked. Grimmjow resisted the urge to adjust the rearview mirror to watch the action from in between the seats.

 

Moaning. Fabric rustling. Nel whining. 

 

“Fuck, you're still tight.”

 

“Are you fucking my wife?”

 

There was heavy breathing. “Yes,” Bazz answered.

 

“Could you stop?”

 

“No.”

 

The moans got louder and Grimmjow could hear bodies slapping together. He was glad that the SUV had windows tinted so dark, it was impossible to see inside.

 

Grimmjow could see Nel's nails dig into that white leather jacket. Had Bazz been naked, he would have been bleeding. There was something going on behind him and suddenly Nel's high heeled feet came into view.

 

Shit, Bazz had her bent in half. Grimmjow knew she was getting fucked good because of how she was calling out and mewling in pleasure. He wasn't going to hold a grudge, she'd been waiting seven fucking years for this.

 

“Does it feel good, Queen?” Grimmjow asked as he adjusted his erection in his jeans.

 

“Yes, oh God, yes. Bazz...”

 

“Shhh, I'm about there. You're gonna get to come, I promise.”

 

“Harder.” Nel made a sound like Bazz had bottomed out and was still going. “Fuck me harder.”

 

Dammit, if they didn't quiet down or something, Grimmjow was going to find a place to pull over and join them. Or he was going to come in his pants. Wait, if Bazz was fucking Nel and they weren't using protection... Fuck!

 

It was too late. Bazz was groaning and Nel was practically screaming. They were getting off. Grimmjow's hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I swear to anything, if you get her pregnant, I will beat your ass back to prison, Bazzard!”

 

There was chuckling coming from the backseat. Grimmjow scowled darkly as he watched Bazz sit up. He put Nel's legs on his lap.

 

“Aren't you on birth control?” She must have shaken her head because all Grimmjow could hear was something rubbing against the leather upholstery. He could see Bazz shrug and lay his head on the back of the seat. He looked fucking exhausted. “Eh, fuck it. I'm not worried about it.”

 

They fucked two more times by the time they reached the house in Nikko. Grimmjow was tempted to jerk off.

 

Later that night, the tabloid show on television had a picture of Bazz kissing him. It was one of those up close and zoomed in shots. Grimmjow saw his face. He looked desperate or needy. Sloane was blowing up his phone. His social media accounts were going crazy with messages and comments. Grimmjow glared at the man who had a brand new mohawk instead of a full head of hair. Bazz said he'd get it dyed tomorrow. He was lounging shirtless, against the headboard of the huge bed in a pair of sweats.

 

Nel was still dealing with kids so it was just Bazz and Grimmjow in the bedroom watching the screen. He just watched the words scrolled across the bottom of the screen. They screamed at him. Grimmjow couldn't help it as he kept looking back at the man. He was perched at the end of the bed. That asshole didn't think of the consequences of his actions. He had a damn radio interview in a couple of days. This picture was all anyone was going to be talking about.

 

He felt hands on his scalp and they were kneading his head, releasing the tension there. The same hands were traveling down his neck to his shoulders. He felt a hot breath on his ear and the side of his neck. Bazz bit Grimmjow's earlobe. It made the blue-haired man groan and he cupped the smooth surface of Bazz's head with his hand, holding him there.

 

“You taste good,” Bazz said before dragging his tongue across Grimmjow's jaw.

 

“Seven fucking years...” Grimmjow said as he felt Bazz's mouth suck on his neck.

 

“Of nothing but blue balls...”

 

“Over the fucking phone...”

 

Grimmjow dragged the other man into his lap and they were kissing. He couldn't believe it how the man had his mouth against his, pressing and fighting to see who was going to come out on top. They bit and nipped. Bazz groaned and the blue-haired man heard the need. The bedroom door opened and Grimmjow growled low in his throat. It was just Nel but her eyes were wide and she stared at them. He closed his blue eyes because his tongue was in Bazz's mouth. The fingers in his hair gripped tightly. Suddenly, Bazz pushed Grimmjow onto his back. The sweats Bazz was wearing disappeared and Grimmjow had to take a deep breath.

 

Holy shit. Yes, Bazz was about ten inches long but his cock was wide. His eyes cut over to his wife who was just leaning against the double doors of their bedroom. She looked flushed as she watched the men. She had fucked Bazz and he was this big? Shit. Holy _fucking_ shit.

 

It'd been years since Grimmjow had taken anything up the ass. There'd been a couple times with Ulquiorra when they were all living together and that had been it. _Okay_ , sometimes he let Nel use a strap-on but it was a rare thing when it happened. The woman was a freak when it came to sex, especially when they got their own place.

 

“You want it?”

 

Grimmjow nodded. He gave Bazz a grin. “Since you fucked Nel without a condom, I get to fuck you.”

 

“You're wearing a condom.”

 

“Duh, Asshole. I don't want your prison germs.”

 

Bazz scowled. “I didn't fuck anyone in prison. I used my fingers, Smurfette.”

 

“You know how to suck cock?”

 

A sneer came over the other man's chiseled lips but Grimmjow saw the blush coming over his face. This was going to be sweet. Somehow, Bazz had gotten his jeans off of him. Their cocks were pressing against each other as they thrust their hips together.

 

Grimmjow was gone with the sensation but he didn't miss the way the bed dipped near the headboard. Nel was naked and sitting against the headboard. The blue-haired man growled. He flipped them over so Bazz was on his back and then flipped the man beneath him over onto his stomach.

 

“Fuck man, I didn't know I was gonna get manhandled,” Bazz grumbled.

 

“Shut up, before I gag you with my dick,” Grimmjow groaned. The woman giggled. “Nel, get me the lube and a condom.”

 

The white bottle and a foil packet sailed through the air. They stayed on the bed as Grimmjow placed his mouth on Bazz's right shoulder. He used his teeth and tongue to mark and wet the skin. Bazz's face was pressed into the mattress. The man was loud. The moans and groans didn't dissipate as Grimmjow's tongue slid into Bazz's ass. The man pushed his face further into the surface beneath him. 

 

Grimmjow knew how that felt. He'd never forgotten what Ulquiorra did to him the night he had fucked him in the ass. It seemed like Bazz was undergoing something akin to a religious experience. He could see Bazz's hands fist the sheets.

 

“Dear fucking—Jesus—Lord... Fuck.”

 

“You okay, Bazz?”

 

“Don't fucking stop!”

 

Grimmjow dripped cold lube right on his ass and then a finger was sinking into the other man. Bazz didn't object to this. He actually moaned at the contact. The blue-haired man added another. Three fingers got a reaction out of the man beneath him.

 

“Nnngghhh.”

 

“What was that? Nel did you hear that?”

 

“Mmhmm. You've teased the poor man enough, Grimm. Give it to him,” she said in a sultry tone.

 

Blue eyes stared at the woman. “You're gonna watch? Seriously?” Grimmjow asked. He bit his lip as Nel brought her knees up giving both men a full view of what she was doing in between her legs. Fingers were slipping through her own wet folds of skin and Nel was finger fucking herself. Both men were gaping at the sight.

 

“Fuck.”

 

It didn't take long for the condom to be put on. More lube was added. The head of Grimmjow's cock was pressing against Bazz's ass, making the men moan. Trying to get his cock inside of the other man took a minute.

 

Grimmjow hissed. He was only halfway in; the pressure and the heat around his cock were already too much. He pulled out of the man which caused a drawn-out groan from the man. “Get on your knees, Bazz.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Get on your knees. I want your ass up in the air,” he replied. He was still watching his wife who still was using her fingers lazily. Grimmjow couldn't wait until he and Bazz got to use her. He would do it now but he'd waited years for the perfectly muscled and toned ass in front of him.

 

Bazz was on his knees now, face still pressed into the mattress. Grimmjow grabbed the man's hips with one hand and his cock with the other. Fuckfuckfuckfuck. He only had Ulquiorra to compare this too but damn... Even like this, Bazz was still _goddamn_ tight.

 

Once he was in all the way, Grimmjow leaned over Bazz's back. “I'm in you,” he said, his voice husky and overcome with desire.

 

“I know,” the man moaned.

 

Grimmjow kissed his shoulder and then licked the outer shell of Bazz's ear. He shivered. Slowly, his hips started moving, in and out, thrusting against Bazz's ass, making sure his cock dragged against that bundle of nerves he knew was there.

 

“You gonna keep up this pace long enough for me to lose my mind?” Bazz asked, panting.

 

He had been focused on watching his dick disappear into the man. When Grimmjow looked up, pale green eyes were looking at him. Bazz had his head turned towards him. “You want it faster?” the blue-haired man asked. “You want it harder?”

 

“Fuck me.”

 

“Queen, silence the Fool,” Grimmjow said, his voice full of dominance. He waited as Nel moved in front of Bazz and was kissing the other man. That's when he took it up a notch. If Bazz wanted to get fucked, he'd certainly give it to him.

 

Grabbing the man's hips tighter, the pace picked up. His hard cock was slipping in and out of Bazz's ass easily now. He could feel his balls smacking against Bazz's body. The man was moaning around Nel's mouth. Grimmjow had spoiled Nel's little fingering session. He'd make it up to her later.

 

The faster he fucked the man in front of him, the more that heat pulled him back in, milking his body. Bazz was moving now too, his ass grinding back into the blue-haired man's hips. He hoped Bazz liked bruises, became Grimmjow was gripping his hips hard enough to leave them.

 

He could tell Nel was getting off on this. Every time he caught her eye, there was a twinkle there. Bazz's mouth was on her neck when he saw her mouth the word, “Pervert.” Grimmjow raked his teeth across his bottom lip.

 

Hnnnngh. He'd show her what a pervert he was later. Grimmjow could feel that familiar pull start in his groin. His muscles were tightening, coiling in preparation for his own orgasm. The blue-haired man stilled his hips, watching Bazz slam against him. Shit. Bazz was moaning freely now, his ass still fucking persistently hot on Grimmjow's cock.

 

He was going to fucking come. Fuckfuckfuck. Grimmjow reached forward grabbing both of Bazz's shoulders and snapped his hips against Bazz's ass. Their bodies were smacking against each other.

 

“Fuck, Grimm.”

 

“Hhhnnng?”

 

Grimmjow couldn't even form a reply. His mind was focused on trying not to come. It didn't work. He saw the way Bazz's hands were gripping the sheet underneath his body. He could see Nel's hand working Bazz's cock, her delicate hands working up and down the man's cock.

 

“I'm gonna come,” Grimmjow moaned.

 

His eyes shut tightly. His breathing sped up and he was lost in the pleasure. His dick was twitching inside of Bazz's body as he came. He was somewhat aware that Bazz was making a fuss just like he was. He must have gotten off too.

 

Grimmjow eased himself off of Bazz and flopped down next to him. Nel had disappeared. The light brown-haired man was laying next to him, his head turned away from the blue-haired man.

 

“Where'd Nel go?”

 

“Bathroom,” came the reply. It was almost curt sounding.

 

“You okay?”

 

“I'm fine.”

 

“You sound pissed off or mad.”

 

A sigh from the man.

 

“Jesus fucking Christ. Don't tell me you're gonna get all emotional and start acting like a woman about this,” he complained quietly.

 

“Fuck off. If I want to become emotional about it, I will but I'm not.”

 

“Look at me then,” Grimmjow demanded. Bazz's head turned; spring green eyes looked into deep cerulean ones. The blue-haired man was lost for a moment. “What's your issue then?”

 

“My fantasies didn't even come close to reality,” came the reply.

 

“Meaning?”

 

“Think about it, for the past seven years I've done nothing but fuck my hands late at night. You and Nel... I was fucking stupid years ago. I should have been enjoying you both.”

 

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. Was that an apology from Bazz? He dragged the other man over to him. Bazz didn't say a word. “We've got time but the next time you fuck Nel, use protection. She hates being pregnant and giving birth. She loves the kids but hates the process of getting them here. I don't want to hear her bitch.”

 

Bazz chuckled.

 

“I meant it Bazz,” Grimmjow said, scolding the other man. “She ends up pregnant and I'll beat your ass. _My_ wife, _your_ girlfriend. If she wants to get pregnant, it will be by me.”

 

The man with the crumpled mohawk laughed. “You know if you're not careful, you might end up pregnant because of how much of a bitch you are, Grimm.”

 

“Whose dick were you just on? You want to talk, Bitch? I will make you call me, _Daddy_.”

 

“Bring it, _Sweetie_. You'll be on mine before long.”

 

 _That_ fucking _pet name_ did things to Grimmjow's dick that were practically _obscene_. One fucking word could get him hard.

 

Wouldn't you know, eight weeks and countless of fucks (between them all) later, Nel sat in the master bathroom holding a positive pregnancy test. Wasn't that just something?

 

“Grimm? Bazz?”

 

They both came through the bathroom door, wearing sweats and guilty grins. Both had obvious erections. Grimmjow immediately got worried because Nel was holding a white stick and looked unimpressed. He didn't like white sticks and empty cardboard boxes that sat on the bathroom counter.

 

“Can't you two stay off of each other for more than an hour?” Nel asked, clearly irritated.

 

“Hey, _pretty_ boy here—”

 

“Don't blame me, _Daddy,_ ” said the red-haired mohawked man.

 

“You're a fucking perverted monster. We should have left him at the prison.”

 

“I'm pregnant,” Nel shouted. Silence blanketed the room. “Again.”

 

He had fucking warned the red-haired man!

 

He had warned him what would happen.

 

Grimmjow was unsure who threw the last punch, but he damn well knew he threw the first one at Bazz.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to 80 songs while writing this... I'm not gonna list them all.
> 
> Armand Van Helden - My My My  
> Brian Molko & Asia Argento - Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus  
> Bruce Dickinson - Arc of Space  
> Bush - Little Things  
> * Cadmium ft. Jon Becker - Melody  
> * Callum Scott - I'm Falling For You  
> Callum Scott - You Are the Reason  
> DJ Snake Ft Justin Beiber - Let me Love you  
> Darren Hayes - Insatiable  
> Dave Matthews Band - #41  
> Demxntia - The Words I Should Have Said  
> Des'ree - Kissing You  
> Faithless - Addictive  
> Foo Fighters - Stranger Things Have Happened  
> Foo Fighters - Walking After You  
> Garbage - #1 Crush  
> Go Radio - I Won't Lie  
> * Go Radio - Why I'm Home  
> * Hakaisu - The Day I Met You  
> * Howie Day - Collide  
> Hunters & Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me (Live)  
> Imogen Heap - Lonely Petunia (Three Ways)  
> Lauren Aquilina - King  
> Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons - Sucker For Pain  
> Marilyn Manson - Running to the Edge of the World  
> Miyavi - Girls, Be Ambitious  
> Moulin Rouge OST - Come What May  
> My Darkest Days - Come Undone  
> * Natasha Bedingfield - Wild Horses  
> Once OST - All The Way Down  
> Placebo - One of a Kind  
> Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust  
> Shinigami - Memories of You  
> Shinigami - Nobody  
> Slipknot - XIX  
> * Staind - Tangled Up In You  
> The Eels - It's a Motherfucker  
> The Perishers - Sway  
> The Weeknd - Earned It  
> The Weeknd - Often  
> Thirty Seconds To Mars - Kings and Queens  
> 


End file.
